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Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee

 

The United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Mississippi, is unique as it pertains to the Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee (LECC).   Although it was not identified as LECC initially, George Phillips a local prosecutor who later became the United States Attorney for this District, and Larkin Smith, Chief of Police of Gulfport and later a United States Congressman, recognized the need for law enforcement to coordinate and work together in the area of crime prevention and sharing of criminal information.  Working together, these two men organized a group of law enforcement leaders and other officers who met once a month to discuss crimes within their venues. They quickly realized that in addition to sharing information, another result of these meetings was the camaraderie that developed between the various agencies and a greatly improved working relationship.

In a meeting with Associate Attorney General Rudy Giuliani, U S Attorney George Phillips mentioned these meetings and the positive results they were having. Mr. Giuliani felt this was a great idea and instructed the other 93 districts to implement a similar type program and the LECC concept was initiated.

The same vision exists today in the Southern District of Mississippi as the LECC works toward coordination and cooperation among all levels of law enforcement. In addition, providing top notch training to officers at the federal, state and local level at no cost to their agencies is a priority and a way that the U S Attorney’s Office can support law enforcement throughout the District. The LECC Coordinator’s numerous training seminars held throughout the year address current issues and evolving problematic areas faced by law enforcement in this State. Furthermore, there is close cooperation with the Project Safe Childhood, Project Safe Neighborhood and the Weed and Seed Program in the District.

Updated August 19, 2021