Washington, DC - Friday Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the Department of Justice’s new steps in combating violent crime. The Department has selected 27 locations to receive aid in the fight against violent crime. Those locations will receive a total of 40 Assistant U.S. Attorneys, and new violent crime task forces will be launched in Charlotte, NC, and Pittsburgh, PA. The new violent crime task forces will focus on the proliferation of violent crime in the counties adjacent to Pittsburgh and Charlotte.
"Led by our 94 United States Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Neighborhoods(PSN) task forces are hitting the streets across America to apprehend and bring violent criminals to justice. I have asked Congress for additional PSN funding next year because I believe nothing will be more effective at reducing violent crime" said Attorney General Sessions. "Under this program, I am asking a great deal of our United States Attorneys. I am both empowering them and holding them accountable for results. To put them in the best position to impact and reduce violent crime, it is my privilege to announce today that through a re-allocation of resources, we will be enlisting and deploying 40 additional violent crime prosecutors across the United States."
More information on the locations of those 40 Assistant United States Attorneys and violent crime task forces is below:
AUSA Breakdown by District
Northern District of Alabama - 1
Eastern District of Arkansas - 1
Northern District of California - 2
Southern District of California - 1
District of Connecticut - 1
District of Columbia - 1
Central District of Illinois - 1
Northern District of Illinois - 3
Southern District of Indiana - 1
Eastern District of Louisiana - 1
District of Maryland - 3
Western District of Michigan - 1
Eastern District of Missouri - 2
Western District of Missouri - 1
District of Nevada - 2
District of New Mexico - 1
Eastern District of New York - 2
Western District of New York - 1
Northern District of Ohio - 2
Eastern District of Pennsylvania - 1
Middle District of Tennessee - 2
Western District of Tennessee - 2
Eastern District of Texas - 1
Northern District of Texas - 1
Southern District of Texas - 2
Western District of Texas - 1
Eastern District of Wisconsin - 2
Summary of the Charlotte Violent Crime Task Force (CE VCTF) for the Western and Middle Districts of North Carolina
The CE VCTF is focused on the investigation of violent crime in the greater Charlotte metropolitan area, to include Mecklenburg, Gaston, Cleveland, Cabarrus, Union, Stanly, Anson and Montgomery Counties. The Task Force will be assigned to the FBI Charlotte Division Headquarters. The CE VCTF will focus on the significant proliferation of violent crime. Gang-related crime is already being addressed by the FBI’s Charlotte Division Safe Streets Task Force, and the new Task Force will concentrate on other violent criminal activity. Violent crime rates in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Gaston, and Anson County exceed the national average. The CE VCTF will focus on crime exercising a significant impact on these communities. The CE VCTF will be staffed with local law enforcement as well as federal agents.
Summary of the Pittsburgh Violent Crime Task Force (PG VCTF) for the Western District of Pennsylvania
The PG VCTF will focus on the proliferation of violent crime in the counties including and adjacent to Pittsburgh—Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Clarion, Lawrence, and Mercer. The Task Force will be assigned to the FBI Pittsburgh Division Headquarters. Pittsburgh’s violent crime rating is significantly higher than the national median. With the exception of the city of Pittsburgh, each of the counties in the area of the proposed Task Force has a violent crime per capita rate that is higher than the city of Philadelphia as calculated based on 2015 FBI crime statistics. Despite the fact that violent crime has declined in several categories, the overall trend reflects a disturbing increase in violent crime. The PG VCTF will focus on violent crimes that impact public safety. The PG VCTF will enable law enforcement to work more strategically and to address violent crime with data-driven strategies. Staffing of the proposed Task Force will include federal law enforcement and representatives from local law enforcement agencies.
