http://washingtontimes.com/national/200 ... -3326r.htm

Gonzales offers resources to fight New Orleans crime
By Jerry Seper
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published August 22, 2006

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales said yesterday that he will send additional prosecutors and federal agents to New Orleans to combat rising violent crime in the city in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

During meetings with law-enforcement authorities in New Orleans, Mr. Gonzales said he will dispatch 10 more prosecutors to the region, hire nine others to assist in fraud and violent-crime cases, and send four additional agents each from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the U.S. Marshals Service.

"The people of New Orleans deserve the chance to rebuild their city without the threat of violent crime," Mr. Gonzales said.

The Justice Department has made more than $20 million in grants available to Orleans Parish to help rebuild the criminal justice system in an effort to fight rising violent crime. More than $61 million in justice assistance grants and Katrina relief law-enforcement infrastructure funds have been made available to Louisiana.

Violent crime declined in New Orleans after Katrina hit last August but has risen sharply in the past few months -- both in the city and the suburbs. Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco sent in state police and National Guard troops after five teenagers were fatally shot in a sport utility vehicle in mid-June.

During his visit, Mr. Gonzales said state and local law-enforcement facilities remain damaged from Katrina, including the Orleans Parish criminal justice complex and the New Orleans Police Department's headquarters.

The attorney general also met with members of the Louisiana congressional delegation and state and local government officials to discuss how the department can best assist in combating violent crime.

He said the department will:

•Send four ATF agents to supplement a Violent Crime Impact Team that has targeted gun crime, and four deputy marshals to supplement a Crescent Star Fugitive Task Force that locates and arrests fugitives wanted in connection with violent crimes.

•Assign 10 attorneys temporarily to the region to assist in prosecuting firearms, drug and immigration cases with a federal link, and hire nine more prosecutors to assist with fraud and violent crime cases.

•Begin a Violent Crime Intelligence Initiative through the FBI and state and local authorities to gather information on violent criminals, develop a list of most violent offenders and distribute that information to federal, state and local authorities. In addition, the resources will be used to rebuild communities and provide ways for the residents of New Orleans to keep their children safe and to assist law enforcement.

Mr. Gonzales said the Boys & Girls Clubs of America will re-establish the clubs destroyed by Katrina with funding provided through the Bureau of Justice Assistance and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The ATF will restart a 24-hour hot line (504/581-GUNS) to allow citizens to report the illegal use and possession of firearms for federal response.