Law Enforcement Assistance Administration

The Law Enforcement Assistance Administration was created in response to concern about crime in the United States. The President's Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice established in 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson recommended that a federal agency be established within the Department of Justice to assist states in controlling crime. That same year the Office of Law Enforcement Assistance was created; it provided federal funds to states and localities directed toward improving criminal justice agencies, especially the police. Three years later, on June 19, 1968, the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act was signed into law.

Title I of this legislation contained five major provisions that (1) created the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) within the Department of Justice, (2) provided grants to states for operating planning agencies to develop criminal justice plans, (3) made action grant funds available to the states, (4) established a National Institute of Law Enforcement and Research within LEAA, and (5) provided funding for the first four. These provisions were designed to achieve three goals: to encourage comprehensive planning by states and municipalities, to direct grants toward the improvement of law enforcement, and to encourage research and development programs for the improvement of law enforcement.

There were five offices within the agency, the Office of Administration, Office of Law Enforcement Programs, the National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, the Office of Academic Assistance, and the National Criminal Justice Information Statistics Service. Regional offices were responsible for assisting and overseeing grants issued to the states. During the first year of operation LEAA provided funds to states to establish state planning agencies (SPAs) that were responsible for assessing the criminal justice system and developing proposals that would guide expenditures of the federal grants. After LEAA approved a state's plan, funding for planning and action grants was released. By December 1968, each state had established an SPA.

LEAA disbursed funds for the improvement of state and local criminal justice systems through its action block grant program. Initially, most funding went to law enforcement agencies; later, courts, corrections, juvenile justice agencies, and community anticrime programs were funded as well. LEAA also administered a discretionary grant program.

LEAA was instrumental in what is now referred to as the research revolution. The National Institute on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice funded[Page 736] numerous research projects that led to important reforms in police work. The Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment, studies of criminal investigations, rapid response time, fear of crime, foot patrol, and numerous other topics, challenged traditional assumptions about policing and contributed to new operational strategies including community policing. Over time, LEAA funded important research projects related to criminal justice agencies other than the police.

During its brief existence, LEAA also funded a number of innovative programs, projects, workshops, and conferences. National programs included Career Criminals, Citizens’ Initiative, High Impact Anti-Crime, and Pilot Cities. Another important program, the Law Enforcement Education Program, provided financial assistance to criminal justice professionals to continue their higher education. Special projects included the National Crime Survey, the National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals, and the National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice. LEAA also spearheaded numerous technological advancements including the development of information systems, bulletproof vests, and forensic application of DNA technology.

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