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The Major Cities Chiefs (MCC) is a professional
organization of police executives representing the largest
cities in the United States and Canada. The MCC provides a
unique forum for urban police, sheriffs and other law enforcement
chief executives to discuss common problems, to share information
and problem-solving strategies. MCC articulates the public
safety needs of large cities in the formulation of criminal
justice policy.
Historical Background
Crime is a national concern that affects every community
in every region of the United States and Canada. Crime, however,
takes its heaviest toll on the largest urban communities.
In the United States, major cities account for nearly 20 percent
of the nation’s population, but more than one-quarter
of reported index crimes and more than 37 percent of all reported
violent offenses.
Recognizing the unique public safety challenges
of large cities, a small group of chiefs of police from these
jurisdictions began meeting on a regular basis in the late
1960’s. Their purpose was to discuss mutual problems
and to exchange solutions for addressing those problems.
From these early and largely informal discussions
cam a more structured organization of large city police executives.
Thus, the Major Cities Chiefs Association was created. Over
the years, the organization has grown both in size of its
membership and the breadth of its programs. Today, the MCC
includes the chief law enforcement executives of 63 of the
largest urban areas in the United States and the 7 largest
cities in Canada. Members of the Major Cities Chiefs serve
approximately one-fifth of the United States and Canadian
population.
While the purpose of the MCC remains much the
same as it has always been—to discuss mutual issues
and to exchange new crime-fighting strategies—the Major
Cities Chiefs involvement in executive training, research,
and criminal justice policy development continues to grow.
Membership
Membership in the Major Cities Chiefs is designed to reflect
the public safety needs and unique crime problems of the largest
policing agencies in the United States and Canada. Police
executives who meet one of the following criteria are eligible
for membership:
a. The chief law enforcement executive of the
United States, with a populations of more
than 500,000. Cities that originally met these population
criteria, but which have since fallen below that level, are
eligible to remain in the membership.
b. The chief executive of the largest law enforcement
agency in a Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area of more
than 1 1/2 million population.
c. The chief law enforcement executives of the
seven largest cities in Canada.
From an initial membership of approximately 20, the Major
Cities Chiefs now include 63 members from the United States
and 7 from the Canadian provinces. Each member pays annual
dues that cover the registration at the three conferences
held throughout the year.
Leadership
Members of the Major Cities Chiefs select a Chair and two
Vice Chairs. The Chair, in turn appoints a Secretary/Treasurer/Conference
Director.
MCC Staff
A small staff supports the work of the Major Cities Chiefs.
The head of the Federal Bureau of Investigations National
Executive Institute Program is the Major Cities Chiefs training
officer. He is responsible for the executive training component
of the organizations agenda. Legislative liaison and information
policy work is provided by staff members of one of the MCC
departments. The Program Chairman and an unpaid staff provide
the meeting arrangements and answers the needs of the members.
Further support is provided by the department staff of the
Chair, the Secretary/Treasurer and host chiefs.
Meetings
The Major Cities Chiefs meet three times a year. Meetings
are restricted to member chiefs and one deputy and selected
staff. The president can approve representatives from a company
or corporation that sponsors meeting events. If the Major
Cities Chiefs go into an “Executive Session”,
only voting members and those designated by the chair can
attend.
Winter Meeting
The winter meeting is held for (2) two days each February,
in the city of one of the MCC member. The Host Chief assumes
responsibility for determining the dates of the meeting in
February. The Host Chief must also coordinate meeting sites,
hotel accommodations and registration area and transportation.
Summer Meeting
The Major Cities Chiefs meet two days each summer. The summer
meeting is held in Sun Valley, Idaho, the second week in June.
It is concurrent with the annual retraining program of the
National Executive Institute Associates. The entire week is
devoted to the two programs.
Most Major Cities Chiefs are graduates of the
FBI National Executive Institute and also attend the three-day
executive training program.
Fall Meeting
Each fall, normally in the month of October, the MCC meet
two days immediately prior to the annual conference of the
International Association of Chiefs of Police. Most, if not
all, members of the Major Cities Chiefs are also members of
the IACP, and attend the annual conference.
Training
An important focus of the Major Cities Chiefs is executive
training for its members. Through the organization’s
regular meetings and its relationship with the National Executive
Institute and the IACP, members of the Major Cities Chiefs
receive up-to-date information on the latest topics in the
fields of policing, executive leadership and criminal justice
legislation.
In addition, the Major Cities Chiefs conduct
specialized training programs on an occasional basis. These
programs cover critical issues in personnel employment, organizational
management and related disciplines.
Research
The Major Cities Chiefs, in conjunction with the FBI, the
National Executive Institute and other criminal justice organizations,
conduct occasional studies on issues of national concern.
Homeland Security, Youth Violence and Identity Theft are among
the recent topics the MCC has studied. In addition, a Human
Resources Subcommittee annual studies have included the impact
of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Recruitment and
Hiring. Other MCC sub committees are Budget Directors, Narcotic
Commanders, Legal Advisors and Internal Affairs directors.
Copies of all research reports are made available
free of charge to members of the Major Cities Chiefs. Information
is also shared with other police agencies and researchers
to improve their understanding of the crime problems facing
large cities. Some research findings are available to the
general public on the MCC website.
Policy Development
With the issue of crime taking on added prominence at the
federal, state and local levels, the debate over criminal
justice policy issues has grown more intense and complex.
To ensure the needs and concerns of urban police agencies
are considered, the Major Cities Chiefs monitor legislative
trends and take positions on specific legislation. The MCC
is a member of the Law Enforcement Steering Committee, a multi-agency
group that advocates law enforcement in the legislative processes.
MCC is also represented on the Criminal Justice Information
Systems (CJIS) Policy Board, which monitors issues such as
police communications and statistical reporting. The MCC also
maintains a liaison to the Executive Board of the International
Association of Chiefs of Police.
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