U.S. Attorney Downing Announces Progress in Making Our Communities Safer Through Project Safe Neighborhoods

Two years ago, the Department of Justice announced the revitalization and enhancement of Project Safe Neighborhoods ("PSN"), the centerpiece of the Department’s strategy to reduce violent crime.  Since that announcement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma has partnered with all levels of law enforcement, local organizations, and members of the community to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report released last week, the violent crime rate decreased for the second consecutive year, down 3.9 percent from the 2017 numbers.  And according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Oklahoma has seen fewer murders and robberies over the last two years.

"The revitalized Project Safe Neighborhoods program is a major success," said Attorney General William P. Barr.  "It packs a powerful punch by combining advanced data with local leadership, further reducing violence in communities across the country and improving overall public safety.  U.S. Attorneys continue to focus their enforcement efforts against the most violent criminals and work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal police.  The Justice Department’s relationships across the board have never been stronger."

"Reducing violence in the Western District of Oklahoma is a top priority of my work as U.S. Attorney and of the dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorneys and staff in the office," said U.S. Attorney Downing.  "It is gratifying to know we have a role to play in assisting our state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners in bringing down crime rates and improving the lives of citizens who may be vulnerable to violent actors."

As we celebrate the two-year anniversary of the revitalized PSN program, these are some of the highlights of PSN in the Western District of Oklahoma over the past year:

Enforcement Actions

In addition to charging felons in possession of firearms, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has focused on the prosecution of perpetrators of domestic violence, particularly those who possess firearms in violation of federal criminal law.  The following are some examples of the office’s enforcement actions under the PSN banner, including "Operation 922," which focuses on gun crimes tied to domestic violence:

• On May 17, 2019, a jury convicted Chad Wayne Kaspereit of possessing a firearm while subject to a victim protective order and lying on a federal form to purchase firearms.  Sentencing is pending.  See https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdok/pr/jury-convicts-man-subject-victim-protective-orders-possessing-firearms.

• In May 2019, four defendants received lengthy prison sentences within the course of a week in separate gun cases connected to domestic violence.  See https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdok/pr/operation-922.

• During the last year, numerous members of the Universal Aryan Brotherhood have been sentenced to long prison sentences for gun and drug offenses.  See, for example, https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdok/pr/universal-aryan-brotherhood-members-sentenced-decades-prison.

• On August 13, 2019, Brandon Sherod Ramsey was sentenced to the statutory maximum of 120 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  In imposing this sentence, the court considered Ramsey’s connections to gun crimes, such as his having pointed a firearm at another driver while traveling on the interstate, as well as his possession of two high-capacity magazines.

• On September 12, 2019, Jervares Damora Davis was sentenced to 100 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Davis was involved in an attempted drive-by shooting involving rival gang members that resulted in serious injuries to his girlfriend.

• On September 20, 2019, James Dean Lamar LaFountain was sentenced to 60 months in prison for assaulting his wife with a knife in Indian Country.  See https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdok/pr/seiling-man-sentenced-five-years-domestic-violence-indian-country.

Community Partnerships

• The U.S. Attorney’s Office has worked with Palomar, Oklahoma City’s Family Justice Center, to bring to justice individuals who commit domestic violence and are in violation of federal criminal gun laws.  The district has received national recognition for its efforts to supplement local efforts to combat domestic violence, including its work with Palomar.  See https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdok/pr/department-justice-highlights-western-district-oklahoma-its-focus-firearms-offenses.

• The office spearheads the Probationer and Parolee Reentry Program (PPREP), which since March 2011 has coordinated with state prosecutors and federal and state law enforcement to inform thousands of recently released state parolees and probationers about social services available to them and also about the consequences of further criminal activity, including the illegal possession of firearms.  For more information, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdok/pr/assistant-us-attorney-ashley-l-altshuler-receives-award-attorney-general-reentry.

Improvements to Community Safety

• For the second consecutive year, the estimated number of violent crimes in the nation decreased when compared with the previous year’s statistics, according to FBI figures released last week.  In 2018, the number of violent crimes was down 3.3 percent from the 2017 number.

• The 2018 statistics also show the estimated rate of violent crime was 368.9 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants. The violent crime rate fell 3.9 percent when compared with the 2017 rate.

• According to OSBI’s 2018 crime statistics, murders in Oklahoma were down almost 15% between 2017 (246) and 2018 (210).  That trend holds true in Oklahoma County, where murders went from 94 to 60 in that same timeframe.  Robberies are in decline over a two-year period, from 3,135 state-wide in 2016 to 2,765 state-wide in 2018, and from 1,305 in Oklahoma County in 2016 to 1,208 in Oklahoma County in 2018.  For more information, visit https://osbi.ok.gov/publications/crime-statistics.

To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.