The Local Law Enforcement Block Grants (LLEBG) Program of the Bureau of Justice Assistance encourages communities to shape their own responses to local crime and drug problems; the program’s success confirms the longstanding opinion of local criminal justice practitioners that generic programs do not meet the needs of the country’s diverse communities
Congress appropriated funds for LLEBG through the Omnibus Fiscal Year 1996 Appropriations Act. Local communities received more than $1.2 billion during the program’s first 3 years. Each jurisdiction must establish an advisory board to review projected LLEBG allocations by program areas and must hold at least one public hearing regarding the funds’ use. The advisory board must include representatives of the local police agency, prosecutor’s office, court, and school system, as well as representatives of nonprofit, religious, educational, or community organizations active in crime prevention or drug treatment. Most LLEBG-funded allocations incorporate aspects of community policing. Funding supports police hiring and overtime, equipment and technology, crime prevention, school security, drug courts, adjudication of violent offenders, and collaborative efforts. The program is now in its fourth year and is achieving the objectives that Congress established for it in 1995. Figure