Audio Transcript

Mollie Halpern: The FBI is partnering with local, state, and federal law enforcement  under a new initiative that will tackle crime in seven of the country’s most violent cities.

Operation Relentless Pursuit will increase the number of federal law enforcement officers and bulk up federal task forces in Detroit, Memphis, Baltimore, Kansas City, Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Albuquerque.

Up to $71 million in federal grant funding will be available for new hires, mission-critical equipment and technology, and other needs.

The FBI already has dedicated resources in the cities chosen for Operation Relentless Pursuit but will now contribute even more.

FBI Director Christopher Wray says the Bureau will provide its unique investigative tools and techniques to the collective effort…

Director Wray: We’ll do that by reassigning a number of special agents and other personnel to each of these cities to help investigate and take the worst offenders off the streets and cripple their organizations.

Halpern: The FBI combats violent crime across the country through hundreds of task forces, including the Violent Gang Safe Streets Task Forces and Violent Crimes Task Forces.

With FBI, This Week, I’m Mollie Halpern of the Bureau.