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Audio Transcript

Mollie Halpern: Progress leads to the expansion of a U.S. Department of Justice initiative designed to combat violent crime in the nation’s most dangerous cities.

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

Three additional cities are now part of the Violence Reduction Network, or VRN, a collaborative effort between the FBI, DEA, ATF, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

FBI assistant chief of the Violent Crime and Gang  Section Timothy Ferguson…

Timothy A. Ferguson: Each one of the federal agencies brings a unique service to the Violence Reduction Network. They all have their specific specialty skill sets. When we work together, we’re more powerful to combat violent crime.

Halpern: The FBI partners with local leaders to implement a strategic operational 10-point plan that boosts resources, assets, and training based on the needs of designated cities.

The program was sped up because VRN is seeing success.

Ferguson: Oakland, California significantly increased the clearance rate for homicides and identified suspects in those.

Halpern: The initiative began in 2014 and now encompasses a total of 13 cities.

Related information:

-09/29/14 Press release - Department of Justice Launches Violence Reduction Network
-09/28/15 Press release - Justice Department Expands Violence Reduction Network to Five New Sites
-3/1/16 Press release - New Orleans, St. Louis, and Milwaukee Join Justice Department's Violence Reduction Network