Federal Prosecutor Recognized with the Outstanding Safety and Security Award

United States Attorney Trent Shores announced today that Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Roberts was awarded the Outstanding Safety and Security Award for his dedication to prosecuting violent crime in Oklahoma.

The award was part of the Public Service Recognition Awards for 2019, hosted by the Oklahoma Federal Executive Board. Roberts was one of six final nominees for the award from across the State of Oklahoma.

“Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Roberts is a talented and dedicated federal prosecutor,' said U.S. Attorney Shores. "He approaches his job as a public servant with great humility and selflessness. This recognition was well-deserved and hard-earned. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is lucky to have him on our team.”

In 2018, Roberts charged 77 federal criminal defendants with crimes involving guns and violence. His tenacity and leadership in the courtroom led to 39 guilty pleas and multiple convictions during two contested jury trials in 2018. The remainder of defendants have pleaded guilty in 2019 or their cases are continuing in federal court. 

“This award reflects the commitment of an entire team of professionals,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Roberts. “I was honored today to represent the hard work from police officers, agents, and the staff here at the U.S. Attorney’s Office. It is truly a team effort that led to these convictions.”

Roberts’ numerous prosecutions directly contributed the Justice Department’s violent crime reduction initiative, Project Safe Neighborhoods, which was reinvigorated in October 2017. The initiative focuses on reducing gun crime and prosecuting violent offenders, often with multiple felony convictions. To support the initiative, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma increased its prosecutions by more than 200 per cent, when compared to 2017, and focused on strengthening partnerships with local, state, tribal and federal law enforcement partners. This corresponded with a drop in murder and other violent crime in Tulsa. Violent crime in east Tulsa decreased significantly. Aggravated assaults decreased by 25 per cent, robberies by 12 per cent, and rapes by 30 per cent. Moreover, Tulsa’s violent crime statistics in 2018 reflected four-year lows throughout Tulsa in homicides, aggravated assaults, robberies, commercial and residential burglaries, and larcenies.

Project Safe Neighborhoods is the nationwide federal initiative to disrupt gun violence strategically and comprehensively, using all available enforcement and prosecutive tools.  The initiative involves a partnership of federal, state, and local authorities, uniting their efforts and leveraging existing and new resources. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and its partners tailor their efforts to meet their own district’s unique needs, helping ensure the safety of communities in the Northern District of Oklahoma.