FBI 2018 Crime Report Shows 3.9 Drop in Violent Crime in the United States
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Two years ago, the Department of Justice announced the revitalization and enhancement of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the department’s violent crime reduction strategy. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Throughout the past two years, we have partnered with all levels of law enforcement, local organizations, and members of the community to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. According to FBI’s 2018 Crime in the United States Report released this week, the violent crime rate decreased for the second consecutive year, down 3.9 percent from the 2017 numbers.
“The revitalized Project Safe Neighborhoods program is a major success," said Attorney General William P. Barr. “It packs a powerful punch by combining advanced data with local leadership, further reducing violence in communities across the country and improving overall public safety. U.S. Attorneys continue to focus their enforcement efforts against the most violent criminals and work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal police. The Justice Department’s relationships across the board have never been stronger."
“We are seeing significant reductions in violent crime as a result of PSN," said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “Our PSN success to date is a testament to the remarkable partnerships between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in the Southern District. Rest assured that while we’ve locked up record numbers of violent drug dealers and prohibited persons with guns, we maintain a sense of urgency. We still have much work to do to keep our citizens safe from perpetrators of violence."
“ATF strives to be ‘no better partner’ to law enforcement agencies," stated ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge Tommy Estevan of the Louisville Field Division. “During the past year, ATF investigated illegal sources of crime guns and persons who illegally possessed or used guns to commit violent crimes in the Huntington and Charleston communities. Together, we pursued ‘traffickers and trigger pullers’ with every resource, including new ballistic technology and other crime gun intelligence to disrupt the shooting cycle. ATF remains committed to the continued success of Project Safe Neighborhoods and this comprehensive approach to public safety."
“Huntington’s reductions in violent crime can be credited to our partnerships with federal agencies and our community, as well as the hard work of our police officers," said Huntington Police Chief Hank Dial. “Our PSN partnerships have resulted in more thorough and rapid gun investigations which have led to marked decreases in violent crime making our community a safer place to live."
As we celebrate the two-year anniversary of the revitalized PSN program, here are some of the highlights of our PSN actions over the past year:
Enforcement Actions
As a result of its precipitous increase of violent crime in 2017, we have continued to focus our PSN enforcement efforts in the City of Huntington. Work continues with the Huntington Police Department (HPD) to identify and investigate the City’s most violent offenders. An agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) works daily with HPD to conduct investigations on trigger pullers and gun traffickers. Collaborative law enforcement operations continue to shutter significant violent drug trafficking organizations (DTOs). Federal, state and local law enforcement are working collaboratively and cooperatively across jurisdictional boundaries to shut down the pipeline of drugs flowing into the Southern District of West Virginia through Huntington, which borders both Kentucky and Ohio. Through these successful operations, the flow of illicit drugs from out-of-state sources such as Akron, Ohio and Detroit, Michigan have been curtailed. Collaboration between federal, state and local partners most recently resulted in two significant takedowns: Operation Free Market - a takedown that took out a heroin and fentanyl DTO operating between Detroit and Huntington in which seven defendants have been charged by federal indictment, with approximately 120 grams of heroin and 130 grams of fentanyl taken off the streets of Huntington; and Operation Flat Tire which shuttered a large Akron to Huntington heroin and methamphetamine DTO. To date, 23 members of the DTO are under federal indictment. As a result of the long-term investigation, more than 22 pounds methamphetamine, 300 grams of heroin, 2 ounces of fentanyl and 15 firearms have been seized.
Recent notable cases include:
* Brandon Douglas Tomblin, of Huntington, was sentenced to 102 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Read more: https://go.usa.gov/xVFD7.
* Bryan Patrick, of Ohio, was sentenced to eight years in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Read more: https://go.usa.gov/xVFDw.
* Jonathan Forest Johnson, of Huntington, was sentenced to 131 months in prison for methamphetamine distribution and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Read more: https://go.usa.gov/xVFDS.
* Justin Michael Wilson, who threatened two Putnam County government employees with a machine gun and stole their work vehicle, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for carjacking and gun crimes. Read more: https://go.usa.gov/xVFWQ.
Community Partnerships
A public messaging campaign will soon be launched featuring the deterrent message “Gun Crime = Fed Time." Meetings were held throughout the District to discuss PSN and the utilization of federal firearms statutes in cases of domestic violence with law enforcement, local prosecutors and victim service providers. In addition, United States Attorney Mike Stuart continues to address community and faith-based organizations to discuss violent crime prevention strategies and public safety.
Improvements to Community Safety
* For the second consecutive year, the estimated number of violent crimes in the nation decreased when compared with the previous year’s statistics, according to FBI figures released today. In 2018, the number of violent crimes was down 3.3 percent from the 2017 number.
* The 2018 statistics also show the estimated rate of violent crime was 368.9 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants. The violent crime rate fell 3.9 percent when compared with the 2017 rate.
* In 2018, the City of Huntington’s overall violent crime offenses dropped approximately 20% and homicides decreased by 53%. Violent crime incidents continued to decline in early 2019. A comparison of the first six months of 2019 with the same time period in 2018 indicates another decrease in violent crime incidents of approximately 24%, a 71% reduction in murders; and a 52% decrease in robberies.
* In FY 19, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia increased the number of PSN defendants prosecuted by 77%. In addition, the Office increased prosecutions of felon in possession cases by approximately 29%.
These enforcement actions and partnerships are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
