THE REPORT ANALYZES THE PROCEDURES USED BY OLEA TO ENCOURAGE AND SCREEN GRANT PROPOSALS AND EVALUATES ITS EFFORTS TO DISSEMINATE THE FINDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CRIME COMMISSION AND OTHER RESEARCH ON LAW ENFORCEMENT. IT IS BASED ON INTERVIEWS WITH OLEA STAFF AND GRANT RECIPIENTS, DATA COLLECTED BY THESE RECIPIENTS, AND EVALUATIONS BY CONSULTANTS. ALMOST TWO-THIRDS OF THE $21 MILLION AWARDED BY OLEA DURING ITS 3-YEAR EXISTENCE WENT TO POLICE PROGRAMS DUE TO PERCEIVED POLITICAL PRESSURES. OLEA HAD A SMALL STAFF AND BUDGET, HAD LITTLE ADVANCED PLANNING OR RESEARCH, AND MADE FEW ATTEMPTS TO SUPPORT MAJOR INVESTIGATIONS OF THE DEFICIENCIES IN THE EXISTING CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. ALTHOUGH IT DEVELOPED ADEQUATE SCREENING PROCEDURES, OLEA RARELY EVALUATED PROJECT RESULTS AND ITS STAFF LACKED THE EXPERTISE TO JUDGE COMPUTER AND TECHNOLOGICAL PROPOSALS. THE REPORT FINDS THAT OLEA PROGRAMS WERE INEFFECTIVE IN THE CATEGORIES OF LAW ENFORCEMENT EDUCATION AND TRAINING, LAW ENFORCEMENT OPERATIONS IMPROVEMENT, CORRECTIONS, COURTS AND PROSECUTION, CRIME PREVENTION, POLICE-COMMUNITY RELATIONS, AND STATE STANDARDS AND TRAINING COMMISSIONS. THE REPORT CONCLUDES THAT OLEA LACKED CLEAR OBJECTIVES TO IMPROVE CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND PROVIDED INSUFFICIENT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND INFORMATION DISSEMINATION TO IMPLEMENT CHANGE. IT RECOMMENDS THAT LEAA CLEARLY DEFINE ITS VIEW OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE GOALS THROUGH COORDINATION OF RELATED PROJECTS, EVALUATION OF PROGRAMS, AND EXTENSIVE DISSEMINATION OF SUCCESSFUL INNOVATIONS. BECAUSE THIS EVALUATION FELL SHORT OF ITS GOAL SINCE DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES WERE TOO SPARSE, IT RECOMMENDS THAT LEAA EVALUATION PROGRAMS CONCENTRATE ON SMALLER COMPONENTS OF THE AGENCY AND GENERATE MORE THOROUGH DATA. INCLUDED ARE EVALUATIONS OF 28 PROJECTS, SUMMARIES OF OVER 200 GRANTS, AND THE QUESTIONNAIRE SENT TO ALL GRANTEES. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--JLF)