Clinton unveils anti-crime plan

PHILADELPHIA, April 11 (UPI) -- Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton proposed a $4 billion anti-crime program Friday she said would cut the murder rate in big U.S. cities in half.

Her "Solutions for Safe & Secure Communities Now" plan also would provide 100,000 new police officers, invest $1 billion in programs to lower recidivism, and reduce the national prison and juvenile lock-up populations.

"It is a sad day in America when the president can find hundreds of billions of dollars to police another country's civil war, but cuts funding for police officers right here at home," Clinton said while campaigning in Philadelphia ahead of the April 22 Pennsylvania primary in which she faces Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.

The program would cost $4 billion a year if approved, she said.

If elected, she said she would direct the U.S. attorney general to make online child exploitation and harassment a major federal priority, and to vigorously prosecute identity theft, particularly theft of children's identities.

Her anti-crime agenda is "about the federal government living up to its responsibility to help restore order in our communities, pave the way for economic development and new jobs, and help our families feel safe in their homes and neighborhoods," she said.