ST. LOUIS – The United States Department of Justice has named St. Louis as one of three cities in its next wave of an initiative to fight violent crime.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced new resources on Wednesday to combat violent crime in St. Louis; Jackson, Mississippi; and Hartford, Connecticut.

“The Justice Department will not rest until every person, in every neighborhood, in every community is safe from violent crime,” said Garland via a news release. “The Justice Department is not easing up on our efforts to reduce violent crime. In fact, today, we are doubling down.”

The DOJ launched its Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative (VCI) in 2022, first starting with Houston, Texas, and expanding efforts to Memphis, Tennessee, last year. According to the DOJ, the VCI “surges law enforcement tools and resources to target gangs and other violent groups that are threatening the safety and security of communities in cities across the nation.”

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The DOJ Criminal Division ultimately identified St. Louis, Jackson and Hartford as three cities “most in need” of resources, according to the Wednesday news release.

According to the National Criminal Justice Association, the DOJ is expected to invest around $80 million in additional funding to support community violence intervention programs.

“No matter where violent crime occurs, it leaves a devastating impact on victims and communities,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI, as part of the Violent Crime Initiative, is renewing our focus on violent crime in three additional cities and surging tools and resources to make our streets safer. Every day, our field offices work to tear down violent criminals and gangs and this initiative will only serve to magnify their successes.”

“We have long had a focus in the Eastern District of Missouri on violent crime and complex criminal conspiracies, and the addition of two experienced prosecutors will allow us to expand that,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming for the Eastern District of Missouri. “We look forward to working with them to make the St. Louis region safer.”

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During Wednesday’s announcement, Garland said the DOJ is hoping to replicate post-pandemic trends of violent crime reduction, citing Baltimore, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Chicago as examples.

The City of St. Louis reported a 20% drop in homicides from 2023 compared to 2022 and similar drops in other violent crimes between both years.

When the DOJ launched VCI efforts in Houston, it included assistance federal prosecutors, investigative agents, analysts and forensic experts, along with resources from various law enforcement agencies. What the DOJ’s latest announcement for St. Louis means in terms of resources deployed remains to be determined.

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