On Wednesday (Dec. 23), the day former Attorney General William Barr left office, the Justice Department updated the progress of the Trump administration’s Operation Legend, which aims to reduce violent crime in major cities. Since its launch earlier this year, the operation has arrested more than 6,000 criminals in nine major cities.
“Operation Legend was launched in July in Kansas City, Missouri, and has since expanded to eight other cities that have seen an increase in crime in the last year. It has deployed a significant number of additional federal agents to these cities, providing resources to assist local and state law enforcement in responding to violent crime and restoring public safety.
Of the more than 6,000 offenders arrested, approximately 1,500 were charged with federal crimes and another 467 were suspected of homicide. The operation also resulted in the seizure of 2,600 firearms, more than 32 kilograms of heroin, more than 17 kilograms of fentanyl, more than 300 kilograms of methamphetamine, more than 135 kilograms of cocaine and more than $11 million in drugs and other illicit proceeds.
Operation Legend apprehended violent criminals, domestic violence offenders, carjackers and drug dealers in nine high-crime cities and seized large quantities of illegal guns, illegal drugs and illegal money, Barr said. “Even in the midst of a global coronavirus (CCP virus) pandemic, this operation has been very successful and accomplished.”
“We launched ‘Operation Legend’ to stop and reduce violent crime, hold violent perpetrators accountable, and provide these communities with the security they deserve, and to honor the memory of LeGend Taliferro, whose life was taken by violent crime, all at once. There is no doubt that we achieved that goal.” Barr added.
The operation is named after 4-year-old Taliferro, who was shot and killed while sleeping in his home in Kansas City in June of this year.
The other eight cities in the “Operation Legend” expansion include Chicago, Illinois; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Cleveland, Ohio; Detroit, Michigan; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Memphis, Tennessee; St. Louis, Missouri; and Indianapolis, Indiana.
Of these nine cities, St. Louis apprehended the largest number of offenders, 450. They were each charged with federal crimes such as firearms, drug-related crimes and other violent crimes.
Barr said he has made combating violent crime a top priority for his department during his tenure, including cracking down on gun crimes. The Justice Department has other similar initiatives and programs, such as Operation Relentless Pursuit and a five-principles program called Project Guardian, to combat violent crime. Project Guardian,” a five-principles program to reduce gun violence.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday (Dec. 22) also submitted to the White House the final report on the study of the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and the Judiciary Commission on Law Enforcement. The report is the first comprehensive study of the Department of Justice’s 55 years of law enforcement, and aims to provide insight into the state of policing in the United States to identify specific measures to reduce crime and promote the rule of law.
The report culminated in 10 overarching recommendations for reform in areas such as promoting respect for the rule of law, alleviating social problems, reducing crime, and improving the health and welfare of officers.
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