Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968
The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 is a significant piece of legislation in the United States that aimed to tackle crime at various levels, underscoring the notion that crime is a national concern as well as a local one. It was enacted shortly after the Johnson Administration's presidential commission highlighted the need for a comprehensive approach to law enforcement and justice. The act established the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA), which provided federal grants to support state and local law enforcement efforts, including recruitment, education, and training of officers.
Key provisions of the act addressed critical issues such as the admissibility of confessions and eyewitness testimony, the regulation of wiretapping, and assistance for state firearms control. Over a span of about 14 years, the federal government allocated approximately $7.5 billion to various law enforcement initiatives, including funding for specialized units to manage civil disturbances and organized crime. Additionally, the act prompted universities to develop criminal justice academic programs through the Law Enforcement Education Program (LEEP), which aided officers in pursuing higher education. The establishment of the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) further facilitated the evaluation and support of community crime prevention strategies. This legislation reflects the evolving landscape of law enforcement in the 1960s, aiming to create a more structured and supported approach to public safety.
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968
The Law: Federal legislation designed to provide grants to help state and local governments recruit and train law-enforcement officers and to evaluate community crime-prevention initiatives
Date: Enacted in June 1968
Significance: The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act established the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration to help expand and improve state and local law-enforcement personnel, equipment, and crime-prevention strategies.
The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 was passed by the US Congress less than one year after President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice issued its final report, The Challenge of Crime in a Free Society. Following the presidential commission’s suggestion that crime is a national, as well as a state and local problem, Congress authorized the establishment of the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA), a new federal agency described in Title I of the Omnibus Act.
The LEAA was authorized to make grants available to state and local governments to recruit, educate, and train law-enforcement officers. Title II of the act addressed the admissibility and reviewability of confessions, eyewitness testimony, and other criminal-law procedures. Title III concerned wiretaps and the interception of oral communications. Issues of state firearms control assistance by the federal government were addressed in Title IV.
Under the Omnibus Act the Department of Justice significantly expanded federal government support for the prevention and reduction of local crime. Between 1968 and 1982 the federal government disbursed approximately $7.5 billion in grant money to state and municipal law-enforcement agencies. Some of the grants were awarded for the formation of specialized law-enforcement units to prevent riots and other civil disturbances and to combat organized crime. Funding for officer education was channeled through the Law Enforcement Education Program (LEEP). Police officers who enrolled in college classes received tuition subsidies and book stipends. The program thus prompted many colleges and universities to form academic programs in criminal justice to accommodate increasing enrollments and interest in the field. Finally, the act established the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to provide extensive assistance in establishing evaluation programs to state and local community crime prevention initiatives.
Bibliography
Brekke, Jerald. An Assessment of the Bloc Grant Provisions of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968: The Missouri Experience. Washington, D.C.: University Press of America, 1977. Print.
Index to the Legislative History of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. Washington, D.C.: Office of General Counsel, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, 1973. Print.
"Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968." United States Department of Justice. Dept. of Justice, 6 Aug. 2015. Web. 27 May. 2016.
"Statement by the President Upon Signing the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968." American Presidency Project. Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, 2016. Web. 27 May. 2016.
Tubman-Carbone, Heather R. "Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968." Encyclopedia of Race and Crime. Eds. Helen Taylor Greene and Shaun L. Gabbidon. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 2009.