Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice
Crime Reduction Plan
Homeland Security

Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice

Utah is fortunate to have a well organized, highly professional criminal and juvenile justice system with good communication between citizens, law enforcement, prosecutors, judges and corrections officials. These enviable working relationships are due in part to the efforts of the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice which is created by statute in the Governor's Office and has the responsibility to:

• Coordinate the functions of the various branches and levels of government concerned with criminal and juvenile justice.
• Promote broad philosophical agreement concerning the objective of the criminal and juvenile justice system.
• Lead statewide efforts to reduce crime and victimization.

Further information about Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice can be found at www.justice.utah.gov.

Crime Reduction Plan
The Governor's Office has worked in cooperation with the Utah Chiefs of Police Association, the Utah Sheriffs' Association and state criminal and juvenile justice agencies to create and implement the Utah Crime Reduction Plan. This document represents Utah's first comprehensive Crime Reduction Plan and addresses critical crime issues in four areas:

• Drugs and Related Crime
• Family and Community Violence
• Criminal Justice Technology
• Justice System Accountability

The entire plan can be located at www.justice.utah.gov. An accompanying Resource Guide is available at that same web address.

Homeland Security
Since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the words "homeland security" and "national defense" must be uttered as companion phrases. As a result, new imperatives have been placed on state and local law enforcement and they are already meeting the challenge. They are taking a proactive approach to serving Utah's broad security interests by stepping up protection of our vital infrastructures, improving coordination and intelligence sharing among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and enhancing intrusion detection in the state's computer system.

These efforts are being guided by Utah's Homeland Security Task Force which was created by Executive Order on October 4, 2001. In the Executive Order, the Governor charges the Utah Department of Public Safety, Division Comprehensive Emergency Management ". . . to safeguard the liberty, health and well-being of all people in Utah, public and private property, and the environment by engaging in proactive efforts to detect and protect, mitigate and prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from terrorist acts."