CRIME, POLICE + COURTS
Sessions touts program in cutting violent crime in Utah, U.S.
Oct 3, 2018, 2:03 PM | Updated: 2:17 pm
Utah reports an 8% drop in violent crime in the past year and U.S. Attorney General Sessions visited the state capitol to give credit to his program.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah reports an 8% drop in violent crime in the past year and the U.S. Attorney General visited the state capitol to give credit to his program.
Jeff Sessions told an audience of police, law enforcement, and elected officials under the Utah State Capitol rotunda that nationwide, violent crime has dropped 4.1%.
“These are many Americans who are not victimized by crime, many who are alive and well today, because of the difference this program made,” Sessions said.
He added that his relaunched “Project Safe Neighborhoods” brought police, prosecutors and communities together.
The program has provided Ogden Police with $262,000 to combat violent crime.
“When we’re able to remove these career criminals with gang presence and with parts in these drug trafficking organizations, we win, and our citizens win,” said Chief Randy Watt.
Utah reports an 8% drop in violent crime in the past year and U.S. Attorney General Sessions visited the state capitol to give credit to his program.
He thanked Sessions for lowering the threshold in getting local criminal cases into federal courts and that gangs are no longer fighting over territory, but teaming up to make money through the illicit drug trade.
Utah’s U.S. Attorney John Huber says the Beehive State is tracking for 218 federal prosecutions of gang members this year.
