Provisions of Public Law 90-351, the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, are outlined that focus on helping State and local governments reduce the incidence of crime and increase the effectiveness, fairness, and coordination of law enforcement and criminal justice systems at all levels of government.
Specific purposes of the law are to encourage State and local governments to prepare and adopt comprehensive plans based on their evaluation of law enforcement problems, to authorize grants to State and local governments in order to improve and strengthen law enforcement, and to encourage research and development directed toward the improvement of law enforcement and the development of new methods for preventing and reducing crime and for detecting and apprehending criminals. The law has six parts: (1) establishment of the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration; (2) planning grants; (3) grants for law enforcement purposes; (4) training, education, research, demonstration, and special grants; and (5) administrative provisions; and (6) definitions.