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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOAAG
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1997DC: 202/307-0703 Mobile: 334/441-5845

CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND POLICY EXECUTIVES MEET

TO CAPITALIZE ON GRANT PROGRAMS AND MAJOR NATIONAL INITIATIVES

Mobile, AL -- Many of the nation's chief federal law enforcement executives are meeting here today to discuss how several federal law enforcement initiatives can be combined with the work done at the state and local level to make a difference in the national drug control effort. Assistant Attorney General Laurie Robinson, who oversees the Office of Justice Programs, is joining with United States Attorneys from across the nation who advise the Attorney General on drug policy and state and local law enforcement matters.

"As the Department of Justice's primary source of assistance for state and community-based anti-crime efforts, I am so pleased to be here to help cement the federal/local relationship," said Robinson. "Here in Alabama is just one example of where we're piloting a major initiative to break the cycle of drug abuse and crime. We know that when we all collaborate, our communities' streets will become safer."

The meeting, which is being sponsored by the Office of National Drug Control Policy and several components of the Justice Department, is focusing on the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Program (HIDTA), the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, and their relationship to the work of state and local law enforcement. In each of their districts, the U.S. Attorneys have the lead role in bringing law enforcement agencies together.

The Office of Justice Programs, one of the conference cosponsors, is the Justice Department agency responsible for state and local criminal justice, juvenile justice and victims policy and programs. OJP distributes grants to states and localities through its bureaus and offices to improve the criminal and juvenile justice systems. OJP bureaus also collect criminal justice data, conduct research and disseminate the results, and provide training and technical assistance to criminal justice practitioners around the nation. OJP currently has over 22,000 active grants, totalling some $7.5 billion.

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