Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a new Department of Justice initiative Tuesday morning aimed at reducing violent crime in cities across the country.
Twelve cities are joining the National Public Safety Partnership, a program that bolsters the relationship between local and federal law enforcement with a special focus on gangs, drug trafficking and crimes carried out with firearms.
"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,” Sessions said in a statement. “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 list:
Birmingham, Alabama
Indianapolis, Indiana
Memphis, Tennessee
Toledo, Ohio
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Buffalo, New York
Cincinnati, Ohio
Houston, Texas
Jackson, Tennessee
Kansas City, Missouri
Lansing, Michigan
The Justice Department will announce additional cities tapped for the program throughout the year.
President Trump regularly campaigned on restoring law and order and lowering crime rates. In February, the President signed an executive order directing the Department of Justice to pay special attention to the issue.
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