The Department of Justice announced the expansion of Operation Legend Wednesday to Detroit, Cleveland and Milwaukee.
"The most basic responsibility of government is to protect the safety of our citizens,” Attorney General Bill Barr released in a statement. "Today, we have extended Operation Legend to Cleveland, Detroit, and Milwaukee, three cities that have seen disturbing increases in violent crime, particularly homicides. For decades, the Department of Justice has achieved significant success when utilizing our anti-violent crime task forces and federal law enforcement agents to enforce federal law and assist American cities that are experiencing upticks in violent crime. The Department of Justice’s assets will supplement local law enforcement efforts, as we work together to take the shooters and chronic violent criminals off of our streets."
Agents from the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, ATF and DEA will "help state and local officials fight high levels of violent crime, particularly gun violence" as all three cities see significant increases in violent crime.
Operation Legend started in Kansas City, Missouri and is named after four-year-old LeGend Taliferro. Taliferro was killed while he was sleeping in his bed. His murder is still unsolved.
"Operation Legend is not to harass, it is not to harm or to hurt, it is to help investigate unsolved murders. In which one of those happen to be our innocent four year old son," Taliferro's mother, Charron Powell, explained at a White House law enforcement event last week. "My one and only child who fought through open-heart surgery at four months is gone, due to senseless gun violence. Children are supposed to be our future and our four-year-old son didn't make it to kindergarten. I stand here today as a mother fighting against violence for my son, LeGend Taliferro."
Charron Powell, the mother of 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was struck by gunfire as he was asleep in his bed in Kansas City, MO on June 29, 2020, speaks about the importance of President @realDonaldTrump's "Operation Legend." pic.twitter.com/eWB0pfwm49
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 22, 2020
"It's important to stress that the operations we are talking about are the standard, anti-crime fighting activities we have been carrying out around the country for decades. We will be adding federal agents to the task forces. These are street agents, they are investigators who will be working to solve murders and to take down the violent gangs. They'll be working shoulder to shoulder with our state and local colleagues," Barr added at the same event.