By Curt Anderson, The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Justice Department is dispatching teams of federal agents to Albuquerque and 14 other cities struggling with violent crime problems despite a dropping U.S. crime rate, Attorney General John Ashcroft said Thursday.
“The violent crime rate has plunged to the lowest level in 30 years, but we view these impressive results as just the beginning,” Ashcroft said. “Our goal is to make an immediate impact on these communities by targeting repeat offenders with tough prosecutions and tough sentences.”
Some of the 15 cities have seen violent crime rates rise even as the nation’s crime rate has dropped in recent years. Others on the list do have falling crime rates but have specific problems that federal authorities are being assigned to address.
Albuquerque’s crime rate has “obviously gone down. That’s a fact,” said Detective Jeff Arbogast of the Albuquerque Police Department. “It continues to drop with each month’s statistics that we report to the FBI.”
Teams of agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; and Drug Enforcement Administration will be assigned to each of the 15 cities for six months. A Justice Department prosecutor will handle cases of those charged.
Investigators will focus on prosecuting people for firearms violations, which often accompany gang activity, illegal drug organizations and organized crime groups. The 15 Violent Crime Impact Teams will use high-tech surveillance and other techniques to identify the worst offenders.
The other 14 cities are Baltimore; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Tampa, Fla.; Miami; Richmond, Va.; Greensboro, N.C.; Tulsa, Okla.; Pittsburgh; Las Vegas; Columbus, Ohio; Philadelphia; Los Angeles; Tucson, Ariz.; and the Washington, D.C.-Northern Virginia region.