DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
Western District of Missouri

For Immediate Release

Monday, December 11, 2017
Tom Larson
, United States Attorney
Contact: Don Ledford

Area Law Enforcement Officials Meet to Address Violent Crime

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that area law enforcement leaders met today for a roundtable discussion aimed at improving coordination to reduce violent crime in the metropolitan area.

The purpose of today’s meeting was to bring law enforcement and prosecution partners together to enhance their coordination in combating violent crime. This is a component of the U.S. Attorney’s Office strategy to develop and implement an enhanced Project Safe Neighborhoods plan, which includes prioritizing violent crime reduction.

Project Ceasefire is the longstanding Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative in the Kansas City, Mo., area, to target felons and others who illegally possess firearms. An enhanced Project Safe Neighborhoods program will include enhancing the working relationships between federal, state and local agencies to reduce violent crime and effectively leverage resources. They will jointly identify the area’s most significant violent crime problems in order to target and prioritize enforcement.

Among the law enforcement officials who addressed today’s gathering regarding their specific agency or department priorities, programs and strategies were:
•    Acting U.S. Attorney Tom Larson;
•    Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith;
•    ATF Special Agent in Charge George Lauder;
•    Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney Jean Peters Baker;
•    FBI Special Agent in Charge Darrin Jones;
•    Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Valenti, Project Safe Neighborhoods Coordinator; and
•    Counsel to the U.S. Attorney David M. Ketchmark.

Also participating in the discussion held at the ATF Kansas City Field Division office were DEA Supervisory Special Agent M. Todd Hixson, Director Jeffrey B. Stamm of Midwest HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area), Jackson County Sheriff Mike Sharp, Independence Police Chief Brad Halsey, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Gilbert Trill of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Acting U.S. Marshal Scott Seeling.

 

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This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, is available on-line at

 

http://www.justice.gov/wdmo

 

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@USAO_WDMO

 

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Kansas City Field Division