Department of Justice partners with local agencies to combat gun violence
Press release from U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Acts of gun violence are far too frequent in communities throughout the Northern District of Florida. Violating federal firearms laws is a serious crime and offenders face serious consequences. The Department of Justice is committed to investigating and prosecuting individuals who illegally buy, sell, use, or possess firearms.
“The investigation and prosecution of violent crime is central to our mission to protect the public,” said Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. “We will continue to utilize every resource available to us to make our streets safe. Our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners work tirelessly to keep us safe and serve a critical role in our efforts to combat violent crime.”
The most effective way to reduce gun violence is through partnerships – federal, state, and local agencies working together to effectively enforce the laws. This strategy has been successful in this area, including such cooperative initiatives as ALLin LEON and the Gainesville Gun Violence Initiative, which are making a meaningful difference to reduce gun violence in the Northern District of Florida.
“ALLin LEON” is a comprehensive plan to unify people, agencies, and organizations to work collaboratively to reduce crime in Leon County. It is a partnership that allows all stakeholders to work towards a common goal. “ALLin LEON” comprises four components: prevention, re-entry, enforcement, and community involvement. Each component seeks to use reliable data to implement proven strategies. The joint federal, state, and local strike force is a concerted effort to crack down on violent crime under the Leon County Sheriff’s Office ALLin LEON umbrella. This initiative has engaged community volunteers to regularly take at-risk youth to places of worship, activated Neighborhood Crime Watch programs, and conducted other activities to target neighborhoods that are perennial hotspots for violence. The effort also aims to help connect individuals who are reentering the community from incarceration with education, job skills, and substance abuse treatment.
Gainesville Gun Violence Initiative (GVI) is a joint effort of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. The Gainesville GVI was established in April 2019 by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida in an effort to stem the escalating gun violence in Gainesville and the surrounding area. As GVI partners, the State Attorney’s Office for the Eighth Judicial Circuit, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Gainesville Police Department, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, the Alachua Police Department, the University of Florida Police Department, and the Florida Department of Corrections share this commitment to protecting public safety.
Intelligence tools come in many forms. One source is the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), which digitally analyzes and compares fired shell casings to help investigators link shootings that may have previously seemed unrelated. Administered by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), the system is being used at more than 250 sites as a crime gun intelligence tool by law enforcement agencies around the country.
“Extending NIBIN technology to state and local agencies strengthens our collective ability to identify trigger-pullers before they shoot again,” said ATF Tampa Field Division’s Special Agent in Charge Kirk D. Howard. “ATF works hand-in-hand with our partners because no one agency can reduce the level of violent gun crime in North Florida alone.”
I thought Gainesville had “Violence Interrupters” to handle this?
I just feel all goose bumpy that the Department of Brandon’s Justice is here to save the day. I’m sure they will come up with some fine ideas on how a free state can be fixed. Funny how they are announcing their presence prior to July 1. Stay frosty my friends.
Send in the “Social Service”! hahahahaha
defund the corrupt doj and use the money to build bigger prisons.
Again, problem is NOT the “gun,” it’s the “communities.” If we refuse to identify the problem, we cannot solve the problem.
So, True. Of course, first thing they will say is lack of jobs. When unemployment is low. These kids are not looking for jobs, they want easy money. culture, community and no family. I guess these places really are villages.
“This initiative has engaged community volunteers to regularly take at-risk youth to places of worship.”
Surprised the liberal lunatics haven’t lost it with this being implemented as a step in the rehabilitative process. Maybe they should have done that before they became criminals.
Funny, but since this started in 2019, under TRUMP, I have noticed only ONE case reported as a federal prosecution and conviction. Has the current group of politicians from the left at both local and federal levels been doing anything?
Did they ever find the members of the community that robbed Big Daddy’s?
Big Daddy’s server room was flooded so there is no surveillance video.
Was that done by the suspects? That seems a little fishy like someone knowing the inner working of the store.
Really want to combat gun violence? How about:
-Quit trying to defund & handcuff the Police- let the cops be real cops again
-Judicial accountability: oversight for judges like Walter Green who just let everybody go. Put the focus & pressure on these judges.
-State Attorneys Office: PROSECUTE!!! Oversight for all the “sweetheart deals” for repeat felons & SAO’s looking for reasons to shave work and lighten their case loads by dropping prosecutable cases. Because society pays for it.
Gun Violence by State
Based on the number of gun deaths per capita in 2021 alone, states with the most gun violence are:
Mississippi: 33.9
Louisiana: 29.1
New Mexico: 27.8
Alabama: 26.4
Wyoming: 26.1
Alaska: 25.2
Montana: 25.1
Arkansas: 23.3
Missouri: 23.2
Tennessee: 22.8
These states tend to have high gun ownership rates. Montana has the highest with 66.3%, followed by Wyoming with 66.2%, and Alaska with 64.5%.
In comparison, states with low gun violence per capita like Massachusetts (3.4), Hawaii (4.8), New Jersey (5.2), and New York (5.4) have lower rates of gun ownership and stricter gun regulations.
Gun related DEATH stats can be misleading, as you know.
According to Pew Research, in 2021 54% of gun related deaths were attributed to SUICIDE.
Let’s adjust the data and only look at gun related HOMICIDE.
“By raw numbers, there were 19,350 gun homicides in 2020, with African Americans accounting for 62% of the total and white people 21%.” (Reuters May 10, 2022)
This shows that white people overwhelmingly kill themselves with guns while black people overwhelmingly kill others with guns. Additionally, the states you list above with high gun death rates are overwhelmingly poor as opposed to the wealthier states you list with a lower gun death rate.
Which cities have the highest number of gun incidents?
Can’t find the answer that fits your narrative or are your hands full?
What a laugh. You can read here every week about felons committing crimes while having a gun on them and those charges are dropped.