KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Attorney General is stepping up to help battle violent crime in the urban core.
More prosecutors from the AG’s office are joining the federal crackdown known as Operation LeGend.
Another campaign, Operation Safer Streets, established a cooperative relationship with federal prosecutors and the Missouri Attorney General’s office more than a year ago. But with Kansas City already experiencing 124 homicides this year, the federal justice department has brought in more than 200 agents to quell the course of violence.
However, U.S. attorneys need more help to handle an increased caseload that’s being generated by Operation LeGend.
So far this year, state prosecutors have helped bring 68 federal charges, which include cases involving 73 illegal guns, 30 felons in possession of firearms, 11 drug dealing charges and 7 immigrants in possession of firearms.
“We are essentially doubling those efforts, as we have a new group of assistant attorneys general who are being deputized, who are deputized as special assistant U.S. attorneys under the leadership of U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison,” Eric Schmitt, Missouri’s Attorney General, said.
Five assistant AGs will now serve as federal prosecutors. There are four in Kansas City and one in Springfield, Missouri.
One of the cases this group is prosecuting involves four members of a drug trafficking organization accused of selling 30 guns and 14 kilos of methamphetamine to an undercover agent.
This is part of what the U.S. Attorney calls an unprecedented law enforcement response to the unprecedented surge in violent crime this year in Kansas City.
