DETROIT (WXYZ) — On Wednesday, The U.S. Department of Justice announced that dozens of agents from the ATF, FBI and DEA will be in the city as part of "Operation Legend" to hone in on violent crime in the city.
RELATED: 42 federal agents head to Detroit as city officials seek help to curb gun violence
According to the DOJ, there will be 42 agents from the departments in the city, and an additional 10 ATF agents in Detroit have been re-assigned to work on violent gun crimes.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Police Chief James Craig released a joint statement following the press conference saying that DPD would continue the partnership with federal agents, "So long as those staff are used in the continuing effort to enforce federal laws on illegal gun trafficking and gang violence."
The statement also ensures that federal agents aren't being placed in the city to address ongoing protests.
"For the last two months, the Detroit Police Department has responded to the protests by relying on the support of the Detroit community, not by asking for intervention by the National Guard or Homeland Security. We believe there is no lawful basis for Homeland Security intervention in the Detroit protests today, or for any increased presence of Homeland Security agents in our community. Today’s announcement appears to respect that position," the statement reads.
Read the full statement from Mayor Duggan and Chief Craig below:
“The Detroit Police Department has had a strong working relationship with U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider and the federal law enforcement agencies here in Detroit.
Today’s announcement of additional staff for those departments was not initiated by the City of Detroit. So long as those staff are used in the continuing effort to enforce federal laws on illegal gun trafficking and gang violence, DPD will continue its strong partnership with those agencies.
For the last two months, the Detroit Police Department has responded to the protests by relying on the support of the Detroit community, not by asking for intervention by the National Guard or Homeland Security. We believe there is no lawful basis for Homeland Security intervention in the Detroit protests today, or for any increased presence of Homeland Security agents in our community. Today’s announcement appears to respect that position.
We have to address the unacceptable level of gun violence in Detroit through greater efforts by federal, state, county, DPD, and community partners all working together. We hope today’s announcement will prove to be an important step in that direction.”
