St. Petersburg Crime Reduction Initiative
During a joint press conference today, Acting U.S. Attorney Muldrow, ATF Special Agent in Charge Daryl R. McCrary, Chief Anthony Holloway of the St. Petersburg Police Department, and State Attorney Bernie McCabe of the Sixth Judicial Circuit announced the culmination of a long-term firearms, drug trafficking, and violent crime operation dubbed the St. Petersburg Violent Crime Reduction Initiative. This eight-month initiative yielded federal charges for 35 individuals and state charges for 9 individuals.
This initiative arose from a partnership between the USAO, the State Attorney’s Office, ATF, and the St. Petersburg Police Department, under the auspices of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative (CAGI). The PSN Program is a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy.
As part of our ongoing Violent Crime Reduction Strategy, our team employs a three-pronged approach. In addition to prosecuting offenders, we work with our partners to create and implement prevention, intervention, and re-entry strategies. In conjunction with the efforts leading up to the results of today’s announcement, our community engagement and outreach team has coordinated and implemented various strategies in these affected communities including participating in the Great American Teach-In; attending neighborhood and service organization forums; meeting with school administrators; connecting with citizens on WRXB’s “Police and Community,” attending “Coffee with a Cop” events; participating in Pinellas Ex-Offender Reentry Coalition (PERC) meetings; and partnering with the St. Petersburg Police Department’s Faith Community Mentoring Program as well as their Community Intervention team.