NCJ Number
224751
Journal
Criminology & Public Policy Volume: 7 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2008 Pages: 325-350
Date Published
August 2008
Length
26 pages
Annotation
This research paper assesses the direct (and indirect) effects on serious crime of the Local Law Enforcement Block Grants (LLEBG) Program on a national scale.
Abstract
The analyses provide fairly convincing evidence that the LLEBG funding led to reductions in serious crime throughout the United States. The main measure of support to local law enforcement in this study was lagged spending, but with limitations. Although LLEBG funding seemed to reduce serious crime, the results also revealed that the decrease did not occur through the hiring of additional police officers, even though many funds were used for that purpose. The study suggests additional Federal support for local law enforcement agencies should be considered. The LLEBG Program was second only to the Community-Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Program in its funding levels. Panel data from more than 5,000 cities covering a 12-year period (1990-2001) were collected, and index crime rates were regressed on LLEBG funding and appropriate demographic controls. Tables and references