Federal Law Enforcement Assistance Programs Message to the Congress on Proposed Reorganization Legislation.

To the Congress of the United States:

I am today sending to Congress the "Justice System Improvement Act of 1978," which will make significant changes in programs now being administered by the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration ("LEAA") and will revitalize our efforts to help State and local governments improve their justice systems.

For the past 10 years, Federal efforts to control crime through LEAA have been uncoordinated and ineffective. In providing financial assistance to State and local governments, the LEAA program has never been as efficient or effective as originally intended. A complex bureaucratic structure has enveloped the Federal effort, involving State and local law enforcement officials in excessive regulation, complexity, and mountains of red tape—rather than providing them with needed financial and technical assistance. Compliance with procedural guidelines has often overshadowed substantive accomplishments. Further, Federal research and statistics programs have not provided the types of information needed for sound management decisions by those involved in controlling crime and improving our justice system.

With the counsel and assistance of State and local officials and of Congressional leaders, particularly Senator Kennedy and Congressman Rodino, we have devoted more than a year to an intensive, thorough review of the LEAA program. Through that review, we sought to remedy the deficiencies in the LEAA program, while at the same time building upon the program's basic strengths. The Act which I am proposing today meets that goal: it effectively addresses LEAA's weaknesses and furthers our efforts, enhanced by our urban policy, to develop an effective partnership among the Federal government, State and local governments and community organizations.

Enactment of this bill will be a major step forward in our nation's efforts to control crime and improve the administration of justice. The bill contains the following major initiatives:

—It will streamline and redirect the LEAA program

• by simplifying the grant process and eliminating unnecessary paperwork;

• by targeting funds to areas of greatest need;

• by eliminating wasteful uses of LEAA funds;

• by strengthening the role of local governments; and

• by increasing community and neighborhood participation in program decisions.

—It will also consolidate within the Department of Justice

• civil and criminal research efforts in a new National Institute of Justice; and

• civil and criminal statistical programs in a new Bureau of Justice Statistics.

LAW ENFORCEMENT ASSISTANCE ADMINISTRATION

ELIMINATING PAPERWORK

The current statute authorizing LEAA imposes 25 broad planning requirements. Implementation of these requirements has resulted in annual State plans of uncertain value and extraordinary length. Each year, State plans total about 55,000 pages often filled with needless and repetitive narrative. Over the program's history, about 500 plans filling some one-half million pages have been submitted to LEAA. Countless staff time has been devoted to plan development and review at the Federal, State and local level.

My proposal will reverse this trend. Statutorily mandated requirements regarding content of plans will be reduced from 25 to 8. Annual State plans—now averaging about 1,000 pages—will be replaced by simplified applications submitted once every three years. This change alone will decrease paperwork by as much as 75 percent.

In addition, under the Act, major local government units will be able to submit single applications for funding of all projects covering a three-year period. The impact of this change will be significant. Presently, cities like Atlanta, Denver, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles and Newark fill out on the average 40 project applications each year. Under the Act, they will be required to complete only one.

TARGETING FUNDS

Under the existing statute, LEAA funds are distributed to States solely on the basis of population. There is no requirement that funds be distributed according to an area's need to fight crime.

Under the Act, a priority will be placed on focusing funds to the areas with the most severe crime problems, in line with the Administration's general policy of targeting funds from government programs to areas of greatest need.

At present, 17 States have about 55 percent of the nation's serious crime and about 45 percent of the total population. Under our proposals, those 17 States would receive additional funds to distribute to their local areas with the greatest crime problems.

WASTEFUL USE OF FUNDS

The existing LEAA statute does not place any meaningful limits on how funds are to be used, or incentives for efficient use. In recent years, it has become obvious that some LEAA funds have been wasted on useless equipment, hardware, projects and programs.

To avoid future wasteful use, and to insure that LEAA funds are spent in the most productive ways, my proposal contains reasonable limits on the use of LEAA funds.

Strict limitations will be placed on the use of funds for equipment, hardware, administrative expenses, and general salary expenses. These limitations should result in additional LEAA funds for programs which will directly impact on the fight against crime and which will improve our judicial system.

LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

Under the current LEAA statute, local crime prevention and control efforts have frequently been undercut by uncertainty about funding levels, as well as by disagreements over State and local roles and responsibilities.

My proposal will eliminate the uncertainty concerning the funding level for local governments and will more clearly establish the relationship between State and local governments. Rather than having to file innumerable applications with their State governments, my proposal will enable municipalities of over 100,000 population and counties of over 250,000 population for the first time to receive a fixed allocation of LEAA funds each year.

In addition, decisions regarding funding are now made at the State level, often without adequate local consultation. Under my proposal, these cities and counties will be given greater discretion to select projects and programs particularly suited to their own crime reduction and criminal justice needs.

COMMUNITY AND NEIGHBORHOOD PARTICIPATION

All too often, a wide gulf separates law enforcement officials from the communities and people they protect. This has been particularly true of the LEAA program.

My proposal recognizes that crime prevention and justice system improvement are not solely the tasks of government or justice agencies. Private citizens and neighborhood and community organizations will have a vital role to play. The participation of neighborhood and community groups in the development and approval of State and local applications will be assured. Not only will public hearings be required before State and local LEAA funding decisions are made, but those groups will be fully represented on the State and local advisory boards that will be established to determine how LEAA funds are spent locally. These actions will reenforce the neighborhood anti-crime proposal announced recently in our urban policy.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF JUSTICE

Although the Federal, State and local governments spend billions of dollars each year in their effort to combat crime and improve their criminal justice systems, we do not have adequate tools to assess the impact of these dollars in reducing crime or improving our justice system.

To date, Federal leadership in developing the necessary tools has been uncoordinated, fragmented, and has generally lacked focus.

My proposal will remedy this problem by creating a National Institute of Justice within the Justice Department. The Institute will replace two existing units, the National Institute .for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice and the National Institute of Corrections, and part of a third unit, the Institute of Juvenile Development and Research. The National Institute of Justice will be authorized to undertake basic and applied research, and to conduct evaluations and sponsor demonstrations in the civil and criminal justice areas.

It will centralize the Federal effort to determine how the Federal, State and local governments can most effectively attack the crime problem and strengthen their justice system.

To ensure the independence and integrity of the Institute's efforts, its Director will have final authority for all grants and contracts made by the Institute.

An advisory board to the Institute will be composed of a broadly based group of academic experts, State and local officials, neighborhood and community leaders and citizens. The board will have authority to develop, in conjunction with the Director, policies and priorities for the National Institute of Justice.

BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS

One of the most valuable services provided by the Federal government in the criminal justice area is the compilation of statistics. However, the Federal effort here has also lacked a central focus and direction.

Under my proposal, a Bureau of Justice Statistics will be created in the Department of Justice. The Bureau will be authorized to collect, analyze and disseminate statistics on criminal and civil justice matters. As a result, the Federal government will be able to provide crime statistics which are reliable and uniform.

An advisory board to the Bureau will consist of researchers, statisticians, State and local officials and citizens. The board would have authority to recommend to the Director policies and priorities for the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

To coordinate the operation of the streamlined LEAA, the National Institute of Justice and the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the Department of Justice will establish the Office of Justice Assistance, Research and Statistics. That Office will be responsible for ensuring that each of these three organizations attacks our criminal and civil justice problems in a focused and complementary way.

The "Justice System Improvement Act of 1978" lays the foundation for an effective Federal program of financial assistance, research and statistics and is vitally important to assist States, local governments and citizens groups in combating and improving the quality of the justice programs. I urge the Congress to give this proposal prompt and favorable consideration.

JIMMY CARTER

The White House,

July 10, 1978.