US government sends more feds in major cities to fight violence

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Addressing the spike of violent crimes, the US Justice Department announced on Wednesday that it would deploy a bunch of law enforcement officers in Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Detriot.
• The “Operation Legend” deployment program also took its course in other cities like Chicago, Kansas, Missouri, and Albuquerque (New Mexico).
• Versus previous year, homicide cases rose to 31 percent in Detroit, 13 percent in Cleveland, and 85 percent in Milwaukee in 2020.

Dozens of law enforcement officers will be deployed to Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Detroit to respond against violent crimes, the US Justice Department announced on Wednesday. The deployment was part of President Donald Trump’s new plan to amplify the presence of federal agents in major cities.

Called as “Operation Legend,” the deployment was also executed in Chicago, Kansas City, Missouri, and Albuquerque (New Mexico). It was launched to address the surge of crimes in cities which triggered by the mass protests over the brutal killing of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody on May 25.

During a Congress hearing on Tuesday, US Attorney General William Barr testified that Operation Legend’s mandate is to respond to “predatory violence like murder and shootings.” He also stressed that it was different versus the infamous disbursement of anonymous federal officers who faced the demonstrators in Portland, Oregon.

Matthew Scheider, US Attorney for the eastern district of Michigan that includes Detroit, said during a briefing that “no federal troops” would interfere in peaceful rallies on his state.

“Operation Legend isn’t about protests or politics,” Scheider said.

Ahead of the November election, Trump has trumpeted a law-and-order movement that targets cities run by Democrats. Critics have accused him of employing a diversionary tactic to veer away from his COVID-19 mishandling issue.

Last Monday, the mayors of Portland (Oregon), Chicago, Seattle, Albuquerque (New Mexico), Kansas City, and Washington submitted a letter to Congress, asking them to suspend the deployment of federal troops to their cities that have provoked more violence and chaos, and earned criticisms from the public.

According to the Justice Department, “Operation Legend” would set out 42 federal agents to Detroit and over 25 to both Cleveland and Milwaukee. The officers will come from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the US Marshals Service Great Lakes Task Force.

Homicide cases this year have jumped up to 31 percent in Detroit, 13 percent in Cleveland, and 85 percent in Milwaukee compared last year, the Justice Department reported.

Source: AOL.com