Metropolitan Police Department, FBI, U.S. Attorney's Office and Federal and Local Partners Announce Task Force to Address Violent Crime

A coalition of federal and local law enforcement agencies has formed a new Violent Crime Task Force to address violent crime and robberies in the District of Columbia, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Charles H. Ramsey, U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Wainstein and Joseph Persichini, Jr., Acting Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Assistant Director in Charge of the Washington Field Office, announced today.

Led by the MPD, the FBI's Washington Field Office and the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Task Force will aggressively investigate pending cases and dedicate increased resources to identify and apprehend persons responsible for robberies and other violent crimes in the District.

The Task Force will be staffed by a joint federal and local team composed of supervisory-level representatives from both the MPD and FBI, MPD detectives, FBI agents and prosecutors, intelligence research specialists and criminal investigators from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. The Task Force will be supported by a larger coalition of District and federal law enforcement agencies, including the Metro Transit Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Capitol Police, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Park Police and the U.S. Secret Service.

"Throughout the country, the Department of Justice and its federal and local partners have made great strides in combatting violent crime," stated Deputy Attorney General Paul J. McNulty. "Today's announcement demonstrates that commitment here in our Nation's Capital. The District must be a safe place to live, work and visit."

"The violent criminals who have created this crime emergency are up against a worthy and determined adversary - a fully- coordinated array of dedicated public servants who care passionately about the safety of the residents and visitors in our city," stated U.S. Attorney Wainstein. "These public servants - ranging from concerned Members of Congress to top District officials to federal agents and police officers on the street - have come together to develop a task force and an operational plan for responding to this emergency. Together, we will work to get these violent criminals off our streets and into jail."

"On behalf of the residents of the District of Columbia, as well as the many visitors to our city, I greatly appreciate the efforts of Chief Ramsey and our federal law enforcement partners to address our city's crime emergency," said Mayor Anthony A. Williams. "Our city is a much safer place than it was 10 years ago, but we can do better - although we can't do it alone. I encourage all residents to get involved in their local Neighborhood Watch and crime prevention meetings - as we work together, I know that we can get this problem under control."

"The FBI has and will continue to maintain a close working relationship with the Washington Metropolitan Police Department," stated Acting FBI Assistant Director in Charge Persichini. "The formation of this Task Force will provide an enhanced collaboration to target the recent increase in violent crime in Washington, D.C."

Today's announcement follows an increase in violent crime in the District and Chief Ramsey's July 11, 2006, declaration of a "crime emergency." Although violent crime in the District is on the decline overall, robberies have increased by 14 percent since last summer (2,047 robberies to date in 2006, as compared to 1,797 robberies this time last year). In addition, the number of juveniles arrested for robbery has increased by 82 percent, and the number arrested for weapons offenses has increased by 27 percent.

The Violent Crime Task Force is the first step in a long-term plan to combat violent crime in the District. Within 60 days, federal and local enforcement officials will engage in a Violent Crime Summit to assess the efforts of the Task Force and to plan a strategy for addressing violent crime in the District in the upcoming year. The Task Force and Summit will complement and enhance existing efforts to ensure that District residents and visitors are safe and secure in the Nation's Capital.

http://www.usnewswire.com/

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