FIVE ALTERNATIVE PLANNING STRUCTURES ARE DESCRIBED WHICH REFLECT THE DIVERSITY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT, THE COMPLEXITY OF THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, AND THE DIFFERENT APPROACHES WHICH CAN MEET THE SIMILAR NEEDS OF LOCAL OFFICIALS. THE MODELS EXAMINED ARE: PLANNING BY A CRIMINAL JUSTICE COORDINATING COUNCIL, PLANNING BY A CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT, PLANNING BY A CITY HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT, PLANNING BY A CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, AND PLANNING BY INTERAGENCY COORDINATION. THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF THESE FIVE MODELS, AND THEIR FUNCTIONAL VARIATIONS, ARE CONSIDERED BOTH INDIVIDUALLY AND IN COMPARISON WITH EACH OTHER. SINCE NO ONE MODEL CAN BE PRESCRIBED FOR A GIVEN CITY, SELECTION OF A PARTICULAR PLANNING STRUCTURE BY CITY OFFICIALS SHOULD BE DETERMINED BY THE AVAILABLE STAFF CAPACITY, THE POLITICAL ORGANIZATION OF THE CITY LEADERSHIP, AND THE ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE OF THE MUNICIPAL DEPARTMENTS. MOST IMPORTANT, HOWEVER, THE SELECTION SHOULD BE BASED UPON WHICH PLANNING STRUCTURE COULD MOST EFFECTIVELY PERFORM THE PLANNING FUNCTION AND INFLUENCE THE DIRECTION OF CHANGE. (THE INFORMATION CONTANED IN THIS REPORT IS AIMED PRIMARILY AT LOCAL GOVERNMENTAL JURISDICTIONS WITH A POPULATION RANGE OF 100,000 TO 250,000. THESE JURISDICTIONS, ACCORDING TO THE LEAA PLANNING GUIDELINES, DO NOT QUALIFY FOR LEAA PLANNING FUNDS AND MUST PARTICIPATE IN A MULTI-COUNTY PLANNING PROCESS OF FUND ALLOCATIONS. THEREFORE, THE MODELS OUTLINED EMPHASIZE THE PERFORMANCE OF THE PLANNING FUNCTION WITHIN THE OPERATING PROCEDURES OF LOCAL BUREAUCRATIC STRUCTURES AND WITHOUT DEPENDENCE UPON LEAA PLANNING FUNDS.) (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)...ELW