Local efforts to increase violent crime prosecutions in the Acadiana area are having a substantial impact, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney David Joseph.
Joseph’s focus on violent crime is part of the Department of Justice’s ongoing effort to increase targeted prosecutions of violent crime through the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program.
In the past year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana has prosecuted more than 200 defendants throughout the district, about 78 of which are in the Acadiana area, for firearm related offenses, including felons and drug dealers in possession of firearms. These prosecutions represent approximately three times the number of such cases than have been brought in previous years.
The Safe Neighborhoods program is a collaborative effort led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office involving local, state and federal law enforcement. In the Acadiana area, participants include the ATF, FBI, DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Lafayette Parish District Attorney’s Office, Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Office, Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office, Lafayette Police Department, Crowley Police Department, officers with the Lafayette City Marshal’s Office.
The program is successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safe for everyone. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority and has directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a crime reduction strategy involving Safe Neighborhoods.
“Violent crime involving firearms has become a worsening problem in Acadiana,” Joseph stated. ”This trend must end. We have been working with partner agencies to provide a targeted approached to reducing firearm-related violence by bringing federal charges against those felons and drug dealers most likely to cause violence in their communities. We want to spread the word that the full weight of the federal criminal justice system is committed to prosecuting those who spread violence in our communities. They will be stopped.”
In addition to the work of the ATF, is the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, a program that works hand in glove with the U.S. Attorney’s Project Safe Neighborhood Program. To combat violent crime both in Lafayette and across the state, the FBI New Orleans Field Office has formed several gang task forces specifically to identify and eradicate drug dealers and violent offenders from Louisiana streets and neighborhoods.
The FBI utilizes intelligence-based analysis to strategically place gang task forces and federal resources throughout the state, which have been effective.
These include: South Central Louisiana Gang Task Force – Lafayette; Northwest Louisiana Violent Crime Task Force - Shreveport; Capital Area Gang Task – Baton Rouge; Central Louisiana Gang Task Force – Alexandria / Monroe; and New Orleans Gang Task Force – New Orleans.
One of the key components of a Safe Streets Task Force is being able to combine short term, street level enforcement activity coupled with investigative tools and resources to root out and prosecute the entire gang.
In the past few months, the FBI’s Lafayette Safe Streets Task Force has accounted for federal charges against 15 gang members at various levels within drug trafficking organizations. These include numerous narcotics and firearms charges, including over 150 pounds of methamphetamine, six firearms, and substantial quantities and heroin and cocaine.
The Western District of Louisiana consists of 42 of Louisiana’s 64 parishes and encompasses two-thirds of the State of Louisiana. The area covers the cities of Alexandria, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe and Shreveport.