INTRODUCTION
GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS COREY AMUNDSON. I AM THE ACTING UNITED STATES ATTORNEY FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA. I SERVE AS THE CHIEF FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL IN THIS DISTRICT.
I AM JOINED TODAY BY SENIOR OFFICIALS WITH THE ATF, FBI, DEA, HSI, THE ORGANIZED CRIME AND GANG SECTION OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, THE U.S. MARSHAL’S SERVICE, THE BATON ROUGE POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE EAST BATON ROUGE SHERIFF’S OFFICE, THE LOUISIANA STATE POLICE, THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE, AND THE CONSTABLE’S OFFICE.
WE ARE HERE TO DISCUSS (1) THE VIOLENT CRIME PROBLEM IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH AND (2) SPECIFIC ACTIONS WE ARE AND WILL BE TAKING TO ADDRESS IT.
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK OUR MANY ELECTED AND COMMUNITY LEADERS WHO HAVE BEEN ENGAGED IN ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE, INCLUDING THE MAYOR, OUR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION, THE STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL, THE GOVENOR, AND MANY OTHERS. I GREATLY APPRECIATE THEIR ENGAGEMENT, LEADERSHIP, SUPPORT, AND EFFORTS ON THIS IMPORTANT ISSUE.
WE ARE ALL UNIFED BY THE COMMON GOAL OF A SAFE AND SECURE COMMUNITY FREE FROM VIOLENCE. WE ARE ALSO ALL DISTURBED TO LEARN THAT VIOLENT CRIME IS ON THE RISE IN BATON ROUGE.
VIOLENT CRIME PROBLEM
WHEN DISCUSSING VIOLENT CRIME, WE MUST FIRST KEEP IN MIND SOME CONTEXT. OVERALL, CRIME RATES IN BATON ROUGE REMAIN NEAR HISTORIC LOWS. IN THE PAST FOUR DECADES, WE HAVE WON GREAT VICTORIES AGAINST CRIME. THIS HAPPENED UNDER LEADERSHIP FROM BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES.
IN RESPONSE TO AN INCREASE IN OUR VIOLENT CRIME RATE, LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL OFFICIALS CAME TOGETHER IN APPROXIMATELY 2012/2013 TO IMPLEMENT THE BATON ROUGE AREA VIOLENCE ELIMINATION PROJECT, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS BRAVE. WE SAW THE POSITIVE IMPACT ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. VIOLENT CRIME DROPPED FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
IN THE PAST YEAR, THIS PROGRESS HAS STOPPED. GROUP VIOLENCE, DRUG TRAFFICKING, AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HAVE FUELED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN HOMICIDES AND VIOLENCE. WHILE THOSE RATES REMAIN LOWER THAN BEFORE BRAVE, OUR CURRENT SITUATION IS UNACCEPTABLE.
THE STATISTICS ARE MORE THAN STATISTICS. THEY ARE REPRESENT REAL VICTIMS AND FAMILIES. TOO MANY PEOPLE HAVE TO LIVE IN CONSTANT FEAR OF VIOLENCE BREAKING OUT AROUND THEM. TOO MANY DECENT AND HARD WORKING PEOPLE ARE LIVING AS HOSTAGES IN THEIR OWN HOMES. THIS IS NOT RIGHT. WE CANNOT AND WILL NOT SIT BACK AND ALLOW THIS INCREASE TO CONTINUE. EVERY MAN, WOMAN, AND CHILD IN THIS CITY DESERVES TO BE SAFE IN THEIR HOMES AND NEIGHBORHOODS.
STEPS TO ATTACK THE VIOLENT CRIME PROBLEM
BEFORE SAYING WHAT WE WILL BE DOING, LET ME FIRST SAY WHAT WE WON’T BE DOING. WE WON’T PANIC AND ASSUME EVERTHING BEING DONE IS WRONG. IT IS IMPORTANT TO CONTINUE THOSE THINGS THAT ARE WORKING.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, WE WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THOSE ASPECTS OF BRAVE THAT HAVE PROVEN SUCCESSFUL. WE CANNOT AFFORD TO ABANDON SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIES BECAUSE OF ISSUES WHOLLY UNRELATED TO THE MERITS OF THOSE STRATEGIES.
WE WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE CRIME STRATEGIES UNIT AND THE VIOLENT CRIME UNIT, BOTH OF WHICH HAVE ENHANCED OUR COLLECTIVE EFFORTS TO SUCCESSFULLY IDENTIFY AND PURSUE THE MOST VIOLENT OFFENDERS.
NOW LET’S TALK ABOUT OTHER STEPS WE ARE AND WILL BE TAKING:
GROUP VIOLENCE, DRUG TRAFFICKING, AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ARE THE THREE MAIN DRIVERS OF HOMICIDE AND VIOLENT CRIME RATES IN OUR AREA. SO, WE ARE TAKING A COMBINATION OF ENFORCEMENT AND PREVENTION ACTIONS AIMED AT THOSE DRIVERS.
1. CREATE A U.S. ATTORNEY-LED VIOLENT CRIMINAL ENTERPRISES STRIKE FORCE TO IDENTIFY AND ATTACK THE MOST VIOLENT GROUPS IN OUR AREA.
2. ACCELERATE OUR ALREADY ENHANCED FOCUS ON FEDERAL GUN PROSECUTIONS.
3. PURUSE DRUG TRAFFICKERS (NOT MERE USERS) USING MANDATORY MINIMUM SENTENCES PROVIDED BY CONGRESS.
4. FUND THE STATE’S PRISONER REENTRY PROGRAM
5. FUND THE CITY’S BODY CAMERA INITIATIVE
6. FUND LOCAL LAW ENFORCMENT AGENCIES WHO ARE FIGHTING VIOLENT CRIME
7. FUND THE STATE CRIME LAB
8. FUND DRUG TREATMENT
9. FUND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAMS
10. CREATE PROGRAMS TO ENHANCE COMMUNITY POLICING, DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS, AND THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY’S INVOLVEMENT IN ANTI-VIOLENCE EFFORTS.
FIRST, TO ATTACK THE GROUP BASED VIOLENT CRIME, WE ARE CREATING A VIOLENT CRIMINAL ENTERPRISES STRIKE FORCE LED BY OUR OFFICE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ALL THE AGENCIES REPRESNTED HERE TODAY, AS WELL AS THE STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE.
USING OUR COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE, THE STRIKE FORCE WILL IDENTIFY THE MOST VIOLENT GROUPS IN OUR AREA. A TEAM CONSISTING OF FEDERAL PROSECUTORS AND FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL AGENTS WILL THEN BE SOLELY DEDICATED TO EACH GROUP.
AS WE SPEAK, MORE THAN 50 MEMBERS OF THE STRIKE FORCE ARE IN ANOTHER ROOM UNDERGOING JOINT TRAINING. WE INTEND TO UTILIZE ANY AND ALL LEGAL MEANS AT OUR DISPOSAL TO PURSUE THESE GROUPS. WE WILL EMPLOY TRADECRAFT AND STRATEGIES SUCCESSFULLY USED BY FEDERAL PROSECUTORS IN OTHER CITIES WITH SIMILAR ISSUES. AND WE WILL DO THIS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ORGANIZED CRIME AND GANG SECTION OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. THE RESULTS WILL NOT COME OVERNIGHT. THIS IS A LONG-TERM EFFORT DESIGNED TO BRING MAXIMUM RESULTS OVER THE LONG HAUL.
WE INTEND TO SEEK IMMEDIATE DETENTION OF THOSE ARRESTED AND SEVERE SENTENCES FOR THOSE CONVICTED. THERE IS NO PAROLE IN THE FEDERAL SYSTEM AND SENTENCES CAN OFTEN SERVED IN FEDERAL PRISONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
THE FIRST PRINCIPLE OF LAW ENFORCMENT IS DETERRENCE. THAT IS WHAT WE SEEK. FILLING PRISONS IS NOT OUR GOAL. OUR GOAL IS TO PREVENT CRIME. SO, IF WE ARE SERIOUS ABOUT REDUCING VIOLENT CRIME, WE NEED TO KEEP VIOLENT OFFENDERS BEHIND BARS, SO THEY CANNOT DO ANY MORE HARM, AND SO OTHERS WILL BE DETERRED FROM FOLLOWING IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS.
SECOND, WE ARE ACCELERATING A PREVIOUSLY UNDISCLOSED FEDERAL GUN PROSECUTION INITIATIVE WITH ATF, BRPD, AND EBRSO CALLED OPERATION JOINT ENDEAVOR. THIS INITIATIVE HAS RESULTED IN THE PROSECUTION OF APPROXIMATELY 50 DEFENDANTS, MANY WITH VIOLENT HISTORY, WITH SENTENCES UP TO 15 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON.
EARLIER TODAY, JUSTICE DEPARTMENT LEADERS IN WASHINGTON ANNOUNCED THAT PROJECT SAFE NEIGHBORHOOD - A LONGTIME FEDERAL GUN INITIATIVE - WILL AGAIN BE PRIORITZED IN RECOGNITION OF ITS POSITIVE IMPACT ON VIOLENT CRIME.
THIRD, TO ATTACK THE DRUG TRAFFICKING FUELING OUR HOMICIDE AND VIOLENT CRIMES RATES, WE WILL AGGRESSIVELY PURSUE TRAFFICKERS - THOSE WHO WRECK LIVES AND FEED OFF ADDICTION -- WITH THE MANDATORY MINIMUM SENTENCES PROVIDED BY CONGRESS. I WANT TO EMPHASIS THAT I AM TALKING ABOUT TRAFFICKERS - NOT MERE USERS.
SOME PEOPLE SAY THAT WE SHOULD BE MORE PERMISSIVE AND TOLERANT ABOUT DRUG ABUSE. I THINK WE SHOULD BE MORE HONEST ABOUT THE CLEAR AND PRESENT THREAT TO OUR COMMUNITY.
OPIOID DRUGS, IN PARTICULAR, ARE CAUSING UNPRECEDENTED DESTRUCTION, WITH 90 AMERICAS DYING EVERY DAY FROM AN OPIOID-RELATED OVERDOSE. ABOUT 4 PEOPLE WILL OVERDOSE AND DIE WHILE WE SIT HERE THIS MORNING. WE MUST AND WILL AGGRESSIVELY PURSUE THOSE WHO TRAFFIC THIS POISION.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO SUPPORTING ALL THE FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL EFFORTS ON THIS FRONT, INCLUDING SHERIFF GAUTREAUX’S DELTA DRUG TASK FORCE.
FOURTH, THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HAS AND WILL CONTINUE TO FUND STATE AND LOCAL EFFORTS TO REDUCE VIOLENT CRIME. JUST LAST MONTH, THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AWARDED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO AGENCIES IN BATON ROUGE
1. $750K FOR THE IMPLEMENTION OF BRPD’S BODY-WORN CAMERA POLICY
2. $3.8 MILLION TO ASSIST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES WHO RESPONDED TO THE AUGUST 2016 FLOODING
3. $2.4 MILLION TO COMBAT SEXUAL ASSAULT AND ASSIST VICTIMS
4. $91K TO RESPOND TO VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
5. $2.8M FOR DATA COLLECTION, MANAGEMENT, AND ANALYSIS
6. $1,050,000 FOR PRISONER REENTRY PROGRAMS
7. $400k FOR DRUG TREATMENT PROGRAMS
8. $400K FOR FORENSIC SCIENCE, INCLUDING DNA ANAYLSIS
FIFTH, THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE SELECTED BATON ROUGE AS ONE OF TWELVE CITIES TO PARTICIPATE IN THE NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY PARTNERSHIP. TOMORROW, MANY OF US HERE WILL BE MEETING WITH JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS TO FINALIZE PROGRAMS TO:
(1) MAXIMUM THE ABILITY OF RESOURCE-STRAPPED DEPARTMENTS TO IMPLEMENT COMMUNITY POLICING CONCEPTS.
(2) IMPROVE OUR COLLECTIVE ABILITY TO COLLECT, ANALYZE, AND SHARE DATA.
(3) INCREASE THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY IN VIOLENT CRIME PREVENTION.
CONCLUSION
WE WILL TRACK OUR EFFORTS AND ADJUST AS NEED. IF SOMETHING ISN’T WORKING, WE WILL SHIFT STRATEGIES. WHAT WE WILL NOT DO IS NOTHING.
WHILE THESE EFFORTS ARE ALL IMPORTANT, THEY ARE BUT ONE PART OF OUR BATTLE AGAINST VIOLENT CRIME. WE CANNOT DO THIS ALONE. WE ALL NEED TO BE IN THIS TOGETHER.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT PUTTING OUR YOUNG PEOPLE IN PRISON. IT IS ABOUT SAVING THEM.
EVERYONE IN OUR COMMUNITY HAS A ROLE TO PLAY. IT MAY BE TO SPEAK UP WHEN YOU WITNESS A CRIME. IT MAY BE TO SUPPORT, FINANCIALLY OR OTHERWISE, PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO REDUCE RECIDIVISM. IT MAY BE TO ENGAGE WITH KIDS GOING DOWN THE WRONG PATH - INCLUDING YOUR OWN.
SO, BEFORE ASKING WHAT OTHERS ARE DOING, WE SHOULD ASK OURSELVES WHAT MORE WE CAN BE DOING. HOW CAN WE MAKE THINGS BETTER? I AM OPTIMISTIC THAT IF WE CAN DO THIS, WE WILL SUCCEED AND THAT SAFER DAYS LIE AHEAD.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND GOD BLESS OUR GREAT CITY AND PARISH.
WE WILL NOW BRIEFLY TAKE SOME LIMITED QUESTIONS.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
