In response to a surge in violent gun crimes, federal law enforcement officials, in conjunction with local law enforcement agencies in Los Angeles, have unveiled a new strategy aimed at bolstering the prosecution rates of such offenses.

Dubbed “Operation Safe Cities,” the initiative, announced on March 20, is designed to leverage the harsher sentencing capabilities of the federal judicial system against perpetrators of violent gun crimes.

The initiative is spearheaded by Martin Estrada, United States Attorney, who stressed the federal government’s commitment to directing its resources and sentencing statutes against individuals who commit violent crimes with guns.

“We are aiming our powerful federal resources and federal sentencing statues directly against violent gun criminals,” Estrada said during a press conference.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna and Interim Los Angeles Police Chief Dominic Choi, both of whom expressed their departments’ support for the federal initiative, joined Estrada during the announcement.

“This effort is to ensure the most violent people out there on the streets are prosecuted and spend the time in jail that they need to,” Choi said of the initiative.

However, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón was conspicuously absent from the event, raising eyebrows.

The DA has been frequently critiqued due to his progressive approach to crime.

Estrada quickly clarified that there was no underlying message in Gascón’s absence, affirming that discussions with district attorneys from both Ventura and Los Angeles Counties had been positive and supportive of the federal initiative.

The collaborative effort aims not only to prosecute more violent criminals under federal laws but also to provide local law enforcement with access to federal resources, such as sophisticated investigative tools and cross-jurisdictional cooperation, particularly in cases involving robbery crews and the tracking of firearms.

“We feel it’s our place to use the powerful sentencing tools we have to address this,” Estrada continued. “We are being collaborative in this and are working with our state [and] local partners to make this a success.”

The operation comes at a critical time for Los Angeles County, which has seen an uptick in homicides and robberies.

According to the LAPD, despite a double-digit drop in violent crimes last year compared to 2022, the total number of gunshot victims in 2023 was still 260 more than in 2019 at 1,206, a number that needs to go down.

Scott Tenley, a former federal prosecutor, noted that federal sentencing offers much stiffer penalties compared to the state system, a disparity that this initiative seeks to exploit to its advantage.

“It’s no secret that law enforcement knows, with respect to violent crime, robberies, gun crime, you’re going to get a stiffer sentence in the federal system,” Tenley said. “And in Los Angeles in particular, if a defendant is arrested for those crimes, they’re going to stay in custody in the federal system, whereas in the state system, they’re going to be released under the district attorney’s policies.”

The initiative also places a significant emphasis on training local police detectives to prepare cases for federal prosecution, a move that Estrada believes will streamline the process of bringing violent offenders to justice.

“We see individuals using guns to commit extortion, and individuals using guns to commit kidnappings and assaults,” Estrada said.. “This increase in violent gun crime is unacceptable.”

As such, local law enforcement will work with FBI and ATF to prosecute the cases.

This approach is in line with the federal government’s broader strategy to tackle gun violence head-on, including the prolific issue of ghost guns and serial armed robberies that have plagued the region.

While the announcement of Operation Safe Cities has been met with optimism, it also arrives amidst growing concerns over the potential for such measures to exacerbate issues of mass incarceration, particularly among Black and brown communities.

Estrada assured that the law enforcement would prosecute cases fairly, aiming to balance the need for public safety with concerns over social justice.

“We take a thoughtful approach to who we prosecute and the cases we prosecute,” he said.