(WXYZ) — Attorney General William Barr announced on Monday that a major federal crime operation will be launching in Detroit tasked at reducing violent crime.
Barr made the announcement on Wednesday afternoon in Detroit with FBI Director Christopher Ray, acting ATF Director Regina Lombardo, acting DEA Director Uttam Dhillon, U.S. Marshals Director Donald Washington, and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Matthew Schneider.
"Detroit is one of America’s most important cities. Its contributions to our national economy and culture are invaluable. But the city would not be what it is without its people," Barr wrote in an op-ed for the Detroit News published Tuesday night.
He said that the people of Detroit are hardworking, and have that reputation around the country.
"However, Detroit also suffers from some of the worst violent crime in America," he added in the op-ed.
Barr made the announcement of Operation Relentless Pursuit, which he said is a Trump administration plan to reduce violent crime in some o the nation's toughest cities.
Having all four heads of the federal law enforcement agencies in Detroit was part of them coming together to "voice our support for the people of Detroit, who for far too long have endured an epidemic of violent crime."
According to Barr, Operation Relentless Pursuit will combine efforts of all four federal agencies to assist local law enforcement in "its ongoing effort to restore order in Detroit."
Barr said this is the first time in recent memory that the Department of Justice is bringing all four major federal law enforcement agencies to places that need the attention – like Detroit.
"Operation Relentless Pursuit will surge an unparalleled amount of federal backing to Detroit and the other most dangerous cities in the United States," Barr wrote. "It will build on the Justice Department’s successful Project Safe Neighborhoods, which encouraged community-based solutions to violent crime."
According to Barr, the operation will give local agencies access to state-of-the-art technology and access to federal agents.
