EU public affairs and the White Paper on Governance

The White Paper on Governance process[This analysis covers the period up to and including the publication of COM (2001) 428 of 25.7.2001, ‘European Governance: A White Paper’.] began life as a search for an issue by a new Commission President. The issue is packaged as enhancing/modernising democracy in the EU and legitimising EU institutions, and searches for further avenues of civil participation. The process ‘sells’ the concept of ‘democratic deficit’, though reveals a highly open and accessible system which is already severely overloaded by interest representation. Rather than escalating a ‘lobby free for all’, the opportunity could be taken to strengthen governance by organising EU interest representation. This could be done by accrediting associations that are able to meet strict criteria of representativity as ‘governance partners’, making them sufficiently attractive to their members to work through them rather than bypassing them, and which would strengthen their ability to contribute to EU governance as policy capable organisations. These associations could find a place in a revamped and reorganised Economic and Social Committee, which would be engaged at a much earlier stage in the EU policy process. Copyright © 2001 Henry Stewart Publications     

Facilitating officer/councillor relationships — Meeting the Post‐Widdicombe challenge

Democracy Rediscovered, Margaret Simey, Pluto Press, 1988, pp. 138, £14.95.

Stalker, John Stalker, Harrap, 1988, pp. 288, £12.95 (hardback).

Public Sector Pay. Review of 1987: Prospects for 1988, KPMG Peat Marwick McLintock, Public Finance Foundation, IDS Public Sector Unit, 1988, £25;

Salaries and Benefits in Local Government Practice, IDS Public Sector Unit, KPMG Peat Marwick McLintock, 1988.

Urban Development Corporations: Six years in London's Docklands, Docklands Consultative Committee, (Unit 4 Stratford Office Village, 4 Romford Rd, London E15 4EA), 1988, pp. 44, £5 + p&;p.

Public Policy‐Making for Local Government, J. A. Chandler, Croom Helm Studies in Public Policy‐Making, Croom Helm, 1988, pp. 202, £25.00 (hardback) and £9.95 (paperback).

Local Government in the Community, Colin Mellors and Nigel Copperthwaite, pp. 233 + pp. 6 select bibliography, ICSA Publications Ltd., Fitzwilliam House, Cambridge, 1987, £14.95 (paperback).     

An evaluation of measurement uncertainty of trajectory angles using a 3D laser scanner

Measuring trajectory angles of bullet defects at a crime scene is an important part of crime scene investigation as these angles can be used for shooting incident reconstructions. The Washington State Patrol Crime Scene Response Team (WSP CSRT) had a desire to report and use measured trajectory angles. To report quantitative measurements, a statement of uncertainty for the measurement must also be reported due to an accreditation requirement through the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB), through which the WSP CSRT is accredited. This evaluation examined the measurement uncertainty of the 3D laser scanning method that the WSP CSRT utilizes for measuring the vertical and azimuth angles from trajectory rods fitted to bullet defects. Three studies were performed which examined the variation of vertical and azimuth angle measurements from trajectory rods on flat surfaces, the variation of azimuth angle measurements from a trajectory rod on a curved surface, and a traceability study with known vertical and azimuth angle measurements. Seven common substrates were selected as target materials and were shot with 9 mm Luger and 0.45 Auto caliber bullets. A vehicle with one bullet defect was utilized for the curved surface study. The WSP's current fleet of Trimble X7 3D laser scanners, the WSP Criminal Investigation Division (CID) Detectives who operate these scanners, and the Forensic Scientists responsible for trajectory rod placement and angle measurements were utilized. An overall measurement uncertainty of +/− 2.6 degrees at an approximate 95% confidence interval was determined for all trajectory angles measured from trajectory rods.