Box 15, Folder 3, Document 83

Box 15, Folder 3, Document 83

- oe Sree ee eee



* Stateabtic ge. Fund |

Distribution Criticized

Atlanta Jourzal Washington Bureau
7 National Press Building

WASHINGTON—The Georgia
Planning Bureau has been criti-
cized by the National League of
Cities for its handling of federal
funds under the Omnibus Crime
Control and Safe Streets Act of
1968.

At a Tuesday press conference
here, Allen Pritchard, assistant
director of the NLC, cited Geor-
gia as a bad example of the way
the funds are being . handled,
pointing out the Atlanta metro-

politan area has 30 per cent of |

’ the state’s population and 60 per

cent of its street crime, yet re-
oor Sacng per aa of the
initi ing grant funds al-
located to the state under the
1968 act.

_ ‘The State Planning Bureau,



which distributes the federal
money to regional planning
groups, gave the Atlanta area
only $33,750 of a total state
grant of $403,750. The grants are
intended to establish initial local
crime-control planning.
Pritchard blasted Georgia
along with 23 other recently sur-
veyed states for spreading ini-

tial planning money “without re- |

gard to capability to do criminal
justice planning or considering
the intensity of crime in the
area covered.”

But it was noted Georgia’s
area planning and development
commissions “‘are established,
have some staffing and rather
extensive involvement by local
government officials.”

The NLC official called upon
the U.S. Justice Department for

1



| State Planning Bureau, a division of the governor’s office.

lonalitibien 3-19-65
City Seen Loser

In Crime Grants

By DUANE RINER
Constitution Washington Bureau

-WASHINGTON—Atlanta was cited Tuesday by the National
League of Cities (NLC) as an example of how federal planning
funds provided under the omnibus Crime Control and Safe
Pee epee ene poe eae ese Ml) CBee
rection.

The funds are funneled by the Justice department to’ the
states and thence to area planning agencies. j

Allen Pitchard, assistant NLC executive director, said the
Atlanta metropolitan area accounts for 60 per cent of the street
crime in Georgia and 30 per cent of the state’s population but
received only 15 per cent of the safe-street planning grant al-

_ located to Georgia.

“Our point has been that in 24 of the 31 states we surveyed,

| they had set up over 200 area-wide planning operations, and the

money for planning was being spread around without regard to

_ capability to do criminal justice planning or intensity of crime
_ in the area covered,” Pritchard declared at a news conference.

Under the present system, it is impossible to “really get

. into the problem in any significant way at all,’’ Pritchard main-

tained.

Pointing to an area planning agency in one state that re-
ceived only $850, Pritchard said the intent of Congress in pass-

the Safe Streets Act wask"'to get at areas of high-crime in-

cidence, and not just-to plan universally.”

Pritchard noted, however, that Georgia's area planning
development commissions ‘‘are established, have some
and rather extensive involvement - by local government
ficials.”” He said it was “not quite as difficult as in some states.
where they set up an organization arbitrarily for safe street
planning that doesn’t represent anybody.”

_ The National League of Cities said it was not advocating

and

that the Justice department dictate how states should use their

Safe Streets Act grants but called upon the department to

_ tighten surveillance ‘to see that it will actually produce plans,
_ and focus money in high-crime areas.”

Georgia’s Safe Streets Act grant is administered by the







closer surveillance on states to |
see that they actually prod uce |
crime-fighting. programs and
concentrate in high crime areas. '