(PatriotPostNews.com) – As part of an ongoing effort to combat violent crime in the nation’s capital, the federal Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced plans to increase security and safety measures in Washington, D.C.
In 2023, violent crime across the nation fell in what Merrick Garland, federal attorney general, described as “an encouraging decline.” Although the decrease included Washington, D.C., Garland explained in a press release that additional law enforcement efforts will be employed in the city in an attempt to “target” those who are “driving violent crime” there.
According to a January 26 press release from the Justice Department’s Office of Public Affairs, enhanced efforts will include a Gun Violence Analytic Cell headed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and supported by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) as well as the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). This aspect of the efforts will focus on the identification of incidents that should be federally investigated.
In order to boost prosecution ability, the additional law enforcement initiatives are also set to include a process for federal attorneys to be assigned necessary prosecutions such as cases involving firearms and carjackings. The DOJ explained in the release that the ongoing efforts are an expansion of the department’s Violent Crime Reduction Strategy, which was launched in 2021.
This initiative sought to correct the violent crime surge that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although Attorney General Garland boasts a lower rate of violent crime in Washington, D.C. in the past year, the nation’s capital also made discouraging historical records. Specifically, the city had more murder cases reported in 2023 than it has in any other year since 1997. These numbers land the city fifth in the list of highest homicide rates in America’s largest cities.
There were 274 confirmed murders in Washington, D.C. in 2023, taking place in various locations such as houses, train stations and public parks. The rampant murders also occurred at various times of the day.
Copyright 2024, PatriotPostNews.com
