CRIME AND DRUGS

Crime and drug trafficking and abuse are no longer the exclusive problem of big city administrators. Suburbs, towns, and rural areas alike are facing new challenges as illegal drugs and crime move into their communities. In the 1990s, mayors, city managers, county board members and other officials will have to work more closely with their law enforcement officials to find workable, cost-effective solutions to the twin problems of drug abuse and crime.

This July, the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority is providing Illinois' governmental and law enforcement leaders with an opportunity to come together and map out a strategy for the future of criminal justice in Illinois.

Trends and Issues for the 1990s: An Illinois Criminal Justice Forum will bring together for the first time in Illinois history police chiefs, sheriffs, state's attorneys, state and local lawmakers, municipal administrators, judges, public defenders, probation officials, criminal justice researchers, and leaders of the business community, to begin developing a statewide criminal justice agenda to follow into the next century. Approximately 750 people are expected at the Forum, which will run from Sunday, July 8 through Thursday, July 12 at the Palmer House in the heart of Chicago's Loop.

"Setting a criminal justice agenda for Illinois' future is no small task," said J. David Coldren, executive director of the Authority. "To be successful, we need the ideas and energy of state and local government, business, and criminal justice to identify the key issues of the new decade, and to begin to establish a plan for addressing these issues in a coordinated, cost-effective manner."

The Forum will examine the new tools, technologies, and strategies available to local government, and it will investigate ways these new programs can be put to work in the 1990s.

The five-day conference will include more than 25 working sessions and hands-on workshops dealing with issues such as drug abuse and domestic violence, personnel and planning, training and technology. An Illinois Town Meeting on drug abuse and crime and a Candidates' Forum on Criminal Justice are also planned.

There will be a full range of social events, including an evening of entertainment and dining with Governor Thompson and the criminal justice all-stars of Illinois. Other special events are planned to celebrate Chicago's All-Star Week, and extensive spouses' and children's programs are being offered.

The registration fee for the entire Forum, including most meals, is just $70 (registration fees for the spouses' and children's programs are extra). Reduced-rate accommodations are available for participants at the Palmer House. The registration deadline is June 15 (registrations received after June 15 will incur a late charge).

Trends and Issues for the 1990s is presented by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, a state agency created in 1983 to improve the administration of criminal justice in Illinois through the effective use of information and information technology. The Forum is being presented with cooperation from the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, the Illinois Sheriffs' Association, the Illinois State's Attorneys Association, and various other organizations.

For more information and a registration packet for the Forum, call the Authority at 312-793-8550. Space is limited for this historic event, so call today. •

May 1990 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 13