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In response to a surge in violent gun crimes, federal law enforcement officials, in conjunction with local law enforcement agencies in Los Angeles and surrounding areas, have unveiled a new strategy aimed at bolstering the prosecution rates of such offenses.
The initiative, dubbed Operation Safe Cities, is designed to leverage the harsher sentencing capabilities of the federal judicial system against perpetrators of violent gun crimes. Announced on March 20 in L.A., it is a collaborative effort between the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, LAPD, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, FBI and ATF.
Operation Safe Cities is spearheaded by United States Attorney Martin Estrada, who stressed the federal government’s commitment to directing its powerful resources and sentencing statutes against individuals who commit violent crimes with guns.
“The bottom line is this: violent gun criminals are on notice. If you think that violent gun crime is a good way to make a living, you’re severely mistaken,” Estrada said in the news conference.
Joining Estrada for the announcement were notable figures in local law enforcement, including L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna and interim L.A. Police Chief Dominic Choi, both of whom expressed their departments’ support for the federal initiative.
“This effort is to ensure the most violent people out there on the streets are prosecuted and spend the time in jail that they need to,” Choi said.
However, L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón was conspicuously absent from the event, raising eyebrows considering his frequently critiqued progressive approach to crime. Estrada quickly clarified that there was no underlying message in Gascón’s absence, affirming that discussions with district attorneys from both Ventura and Los Angeles counties had been positive and supportive of the federal initiative.
The collaborative effort aims to not only prosecute more violent criminals under federal laws, but also provide local law enforcement with access to federal resources, such as sophisticated investigative tools and cross-jurisdictional cooperation, particularly in cases involving robbery crews and the tracking of firearms. Local police detectives will be trained to prepare cases that could be elevated to the federal level, with representatives from local agencies reviewing potential cases alongside their federal counterparts.
“We have limited enforcement resources, but we can multiply our efforts by collaborating with our colleagues at local police agencies to have the most significant impact on violent crime,” Estrada said in a statement. “Operation Safe Cities will allow us to identify and use the best available intelligence and information to assess the violent crime problem and the offenders who drive that violence.”
The operation comes at a critical time for Los Angeles County, which has seen an uptick in homicides and robberies. According to the LAPD, despite a double-digit drop in violent crimes last year compared to 2022, the total number of gunshot victims in 2023 was still at 1,206, 260 more than in 2019.
Scott Tenley, a former federal prosecutor, told KCAL News that federal sentencing offers much stronger penalties compared to the state system, a disparity that this initiative seeks to exploit to its advantage.
“It’s no secret that law enforcement knows, with respect to violent crime, robberies, gun crime, you’re going to get a stiffer sentence in the federal system,” Tenley said. “And in Los Angeles in particular, if a defendant is arrested for those crimes, they’re going to stay in custody in the federal system, whereas in the state system, they’re going to be released under the district attorney’s policies.”
The initiative also places a significant emphasis on training local police detectives to prepare cases for federal prosecution, a move that Estrada believes will streamline the process of bringing violent offenders to justice.
“We see individuals using guns to commit extortion, and individuals using guns to commit kidnappings and assaults,” Estrada said. “This increase in violent gun crime is unacceptable.”
This approach is in line with the federal government’s broader strategy to tackle gun violence head-on, including the prolific issue of ghost guns and serial armed robberies that have plagued the region.
While the announcement of Operation Safe Cities has been met with optimism, it also arrives amid growing concerns over the potential for such measures to exacerbate issues of mass incarceration. Estrada assured that the law enforcement would prosecute cases fairly, aiming to balance the need for public safety with concerns over social justice.
“We take a thoughtful approach to who we prosecute and the cases we prosecute,” he said.
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