U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri Tim Garrison announced that the Department of Justice is taking a dramatic step to increase resources to combat violent crime and drug trafficking.
In the largest increase in decades, the Department of Justice is allocating 311 new Assistant United States Attorneys to assist in priority areas. Among the 190 violent crime prosecutors are three new prosecutors being added to combat violent crime and drug trafficking in the Western District of Missouri. A new federal prosecutor will be added to the staff in each of the Kansas City, Springfield and Jefferson City offices.
“The Department of Justice is going on offense against violent crime, illegal immigration, and the opioid crisis—and today we are sending in reinforcements,” said Sessions. “We have a saying in my office that a new federal prosecutor is ‘the coin of the realm.’ When we can eliminate wasteful spending, one of my first questions to my staff is if we can deploy more prosecutors to where they are needed. I have personally worked to re-purpose existing funds to support this critical mission, and as a former federal prosecutor myself, my expectations could not be higher. These exceptional and talented prosecutors are key leaders in our crime-fighting partnership. This addition of new Assistant U.S. Attorney positions represents the largest increase in decades.”
“We are confronting violent crime throughout the district,” said Garrison. “Missouri has been hit hard by methamphetamine trafficking and opioid abuse, along with the violent crime that drug trafficking inevitably brings. Three new prosecutors, strategically stationed in each of our district’s offices, will provide additional resources for us to aggressively prosecute these dangerous criminals.”
