Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker on Wednesday announced an initiative to fight violent gun crime in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Memphis Crime Gun Strike Force will be lead the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and will be comprised of five ATF agents and one senior supervisor. More agents are expected to be added over the long-term, Mr. Whitaker said.
“The strike force will allow us to increase the focus of our investigations on those actively engaged in gun violence — the ’trigger-pullers’ and gun traffickers who supply them,” Mr. Whitaker said. “That will enhance our capacity to investigate the criminals and organizations who operate across district and state borders.”
Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirch will work closely with the strike force to identify and prosecute violent firearm cases.
Mr. Whitaker said gun crimes decreased 17 percent in Memphis during the first nine months of 2018 and murders also declined by 17 percent during the same period.
But within the first 10 months of 2018, carjacking incidents in the city increased by 63 percent and thefts of gun stores so far this year, rose by 66 percent, he said.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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