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Last updated on Monday, June 26, 2017
(INDIANAPOLIS) - The Association of Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys, Inc. issued the following statement today in response to the announcement by the Justice Department that Indianapolis is one of 12 U.S. cities to receive “significant assistance” to pursue violent criminals involved in “gun crime, drug trafficking and gang violence.”
"Indiana's Prosecuting Attorneys welcome the Justice Department's selection of Indianapolis as one of 12 U.S. cities that will receive federal assistance to fight violent crime over a three-year period," said Association of Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys, Inc. President Patricia Baldwin, Hendricks County Prosecutor. "As Prosecutors we understand how gun violence, drug trafficking and gangs negatively impacts neighborhoods and families, as well as fueling many other crimes. Indiana's prosecutors have been consistent and unified in our opinion that Indiana's drug penalties are too low. Without adequate penalties to put drug dealers in prison, they remain on the street and create the violence identified by the U.S. Justice Department. Prosecutors will continue to urge our Legislature to provide law enforcement with additional tools to combat the drug trafficking violence that exists and continues to grow in parts of the Hoosier state."
As the Department of Justice continues its efforts to fulfill President Trump's commitment to reducing violent crime in America, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced today that 12 cities are joining the Department's newly organized National Public Safety Partnership (PSP). The announcement came during the opening session of a national summit organized by the Attorney General's Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety. The summit convened federal, state and local law enforcement to discuss how to support and replicate successful local violent crime reduction efforts.
"Turning back the recent troubling increase in violent crime in our country is a top priority of the Department of Justice and the Trump Administration, as we work to fulfill the President's promise to make America safe again," said Attorney General Sessions. "The Department of Justice will work with American cities suffering from serious violent crime problems. There is no doubt that there are many strategies that are proven to reduce crime. Our new National Public Safety Partnership program will help these communities build up their own capacity to fight crime, by making use of data-driven, evidence-based strategies tailored to specific local concerns, and by drawing upon the expertise and resources of our Department."
The Justice Department created PSP and the task force in response to President Trump's February 9, 2017, Executive Order charging the agency with leading a national effort to combat violent crime. The partnership provides a framework for enhancing federal support of state, local and tribal law enforcement officials and prosecutors as they aggressively investigate and pursue violent criminals, specifically those involved in gun crime, drug trafficking and gang violence.
Twelve sites have been selected to receive this significant assistance:
They anticipate announcing additional sites this calendar year.
The Justice Department agencies involved in PSP are the United States Attorneys' Offices, Office of Justice Programs; the FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Office on Violence Against Women; and the Office of Community Oriented Policing.
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