Law and Order: Operation Legend

Yesterday, Attorney General William P. Barr and President Donald J. Trump announced the expansion of Operation Legend. Originally launched in Kansas City, MO., additional cities include Chicago and Albuquerque, with Chicago being first identified due to the recent and sustained violence.

Operation Legend is identified as a sustained, systematic and coordinated law enforcement initiative in which federal law enforcement agencies work in conjunction with state and local law enforcement officials to fight violent crime. 

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot confirmed Tuesday that federal agents are being sent to Chicago, but so far the city doesn’t “see a Portland-style deployment coming.”

The operation first began in early July in Kansas City, after the shooting death of four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was shot and killed while he was in his bed sleeping.

“The most basic responsibility of government is to protect the safety of our citizens,” said Attorney General Barr.  “Today, we have extended Operation Legend to Chicago and Albuquerque to protect the residents of those cities from senseless acts of deadly violence by targeting those involved in gang activity and those who use guns to commit violent crime.  For decades, the Department of Justice has achieved significant success when utilizing our anti-violent crime task forces and federal law enforcement agents to enforce federal law and assist American cities which are experiencing upticks in violent crime.  The Department of Justice’s assets will supplement local law enforcement efforts, as we work together to take the shooters and chronic violent criminals off of our streets.”

As part of Operation Legend, the federal departments identified at this time are the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the DEA, and the ATF. They will add to, and significantly increase resources to help state and local officials fight high levels of violent crime, particularly gun violence. 

Chicago is currently experiencing a significant increase in violent crime, with homicides currently up 51 percent over 2019.  Over the weekend of July 17, more than 60 people were shot in the city of Chicago, with 14 fatalities.  Similarly, Albuquerque is currently on pace to break 2019’s record for homicides in the city.  On the weekend of July 10, there were four murders in Albuquerque within a 24-hour period.

In Chicago:

The Department of Justice will supplement state and local law enforcement agencies by sending over 100 federal investigators, who will complement the work already underway by existing joint federal, state and local task forces focused on combating Chicago’s violent gangs, gun crime, and drug trafficking organizations.  The investigatory efforts will be advanced by more than 100 members of the U.S. Marshals Service Great Lakes Task Force, which will direct violent fugitive apprehension operations within Chicago to identify wanted gang members, violent criminals, and firearms violators.  The Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) are also committing at least 100 agents, already stationed in Chicago, to Operation Legend.  HSI agents will conduct investigations into gangs, narcotics traffickers, violent offenders, and firearms traffickers.

To further support the Chicago Police Department in reducing violent crime, ATF has deployed its national Crime Gun Intelligence Mobile Command Vehicle to assist local law enforcement with analysis of crime scenes and spent shell casings through the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN).  ATF will also make available additional resources to assist the City of Chicago in providing timely, efficient analysis of ballistic evidence from shootings in order to quickly disrupt violent criminals and prosecute those prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law.

$3.5 million in funding will be reimbursed to Chicago for the work of local law enforcement on the federal task forces supporting Operation Legend’s violent crime reduction efforts.  The COPS Office has also made $9.375 million available to the Chicago Police Department to fund the hiring of 75 officers. 

In Albuquerque:

The Department of Justice will supplement state and local law enforcement agencies by sending more than 25 federal investigators from the FBI, DEA, and ATF to the city, who will work closely with the Albuquerque Police Department and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department, along with other local partners, through pre-existing task forces directed at combatting violent crimes.  Up to ten HSI agents will assist with the efforts in Albuquerque, as well.

The Department of Justice has also made available over $1.5 million in COPS Hiring Grants to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department to onboard five deputies and to support additional federal task force officers committed to violent crime reduction efforts.  Additionally, the COPS Office has made $9.74 million available to the Albuquerque Police Department to fund the hiring of 40 officers.  Separately, the Bureau of Justice Assistance has made available $1.4 million to reimburse the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and Albuquerque Police Department for the work of local law enforcement on the federal task forces supporting Operation Legend’s violent crime reduction efforts.  The Department has also provided assistance through the Joint Law Enforcement Operations (JLEO) fund to assist reimbursement of local law enforcement serving as federal task force officers with FBI, ATF, DEA, and the U.S. Marshals Service.  These JLEO funds also will be used to assist the City of Albuquerque in acquiring technology used for detection of gunshots and development of an integrated response plan to gunshots by local law enforcement.

LeGend Taliferro

Operation Legend is named after four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was shot and killed while he slept early in the morning of June 29 in Kansas City, the latest in a string violence to plague Kansas City in recent weeks.  Kansas City has already reached 100 homicides this year, a 40 percent increase from last year.

“President Trump has made clear: the federal government stands ready and willing to assist any of our state and local law enforcement partners across the nation responding to violent crime.  Operation Legend will combine federal and local resources to combat the disturbing uptick in violence by surging federal agents and other federal assets into cities like Kansas City, a city currently experiencing its worst homicide rate in its history,” said Attorney General Barr.  “The Department’s Operation Legend is named in honor of one of Kansas City’s youngest victims, four-year old LeGend Taliferro who was shot in the face while sleeping in his bed.  LeGend’s death is a horrifying reminder that violent crime left unchecked is a threat to us all and cannot be allowed to continue.”