U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman announces $500k in DOJ grant funding available to support Real Time Crime Center in Cleveland

U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman announced today that the Department of Justice has made up to $500,000 available in grant funding to support the operations of a Real Time Crime Center in the city of Cleveland. The Real Time Crime Center provides police with rapid intelligence and instant information to help identify emerging crime patterns.

“Keeping its citizens safe is the primary responsibility of government,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “Cities plagued by violent crime need the resources to tackle it, and these grant awards will help do that. On the enforcement side, Real Time Crime Centers will make policing more efficient and targeted; and on the prosecution side, Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys will help bring more federal firearms cases to justice.”

“Under Operation Legend in Cleveland, our collaborative law enforcement partnership has already removed over 100 violent criminals, drug traffickers and other career criminals off the streets of this great American city,” said U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman. “The availability of funding for Cleveland’s Real Time Crime Center will undoubtedly strengthen this effort and enable all of our law enforcement partners to use the latest available technologies to help keep our neighborhoods safe.”

Mayor Frank G. Jackson, Director of Public Safety Karrie D. Howard and Police Chief Calvin D. Williams said:

“The City of Cleveland, Division of Police Real Time Crime Center has been an asset since its implementation. The Real Time Crime Center assisted us in responding to shootings, robberies, homicides and other violent crimes in real time. The additional funding will allow the Division to expand technological capabilities and add resources to this valuable team.  We are thankful for the continued support of the United States Attorney’s Office."

The funding made available to each Operation Legend city can assist police departments in purchasing critical equipment and paying overtime to help keep these centers staffed around the clock. This funding is provided by the Office of Justice Programs and must be applied for through the traditional process. 

In addition, Attorney General Barr announced that the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs is making up to $5.3 million available in grants to support Operation Legend sites nationwide. More than $1.3 million will fund special prosecutors who have been cross-designated to try federal firearms cases originating in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Kansas City, Missouri; Memphis, Tennessee; and St. Louis, Missouri.

“We are pleased to support the outstanding work being undertaken through Operation Legend to reduce violent crime by focusing on cases involving illegal firearms,” said OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan. “The Office of Justice Programs is pleased to make these resources available to support the brave crime-fighters who work so hard to deter violence and keep our communities safe.”

The Department of Justice launched Operation Legend in July, following the murder of four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was shot and killed while he slept in his Kansas City home. The initiative was subsequently expanded from Kansas City to Albuquerque, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Memphis, Milwaukee, St. Louis and Indianapolis.

Since the summer launch, officials in Operation Legend sites have made more than 5,500 arrests, including approximately 276 for homicide, and seized more than 2,000 firearms. Of the more than 5,500 individuals arrested, approximately 1,124 have been charged with federal offenses. More than 600 of those defendants have been charged with firearms offenses.

More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years