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LOS ANGELES — Law enforcement officials in Los Angeles are promising increased federal prosecutions of violent gun crime, but are denying Thursday the new Operation Safe Cities initiative was a response to what critics describe as a soft approach to prosecuting and sentencing by Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón.
Crimes involving commercial robberies, kidnappings, extortions and gun offenses are generally subject to stiffer penalties in federal court, where there is no parole, than in state court.
For example, commercial robbery offenses charged under the Hobbs Act — dealing with robbery or extortion affecting interstate commerce — each carry up to 20 years in federal prison, and these sentences can be significantly increased if the perpetrator used or simply possessed a firearm.
The Safe Cities initiative aims to strengthen existing partnerships between federal and local law enforcement to take the most violent and habitual offenders off the streets and expand the number of federal cases involving gun crimes, according to Martin Estrada, the U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles.
"We're hearing the community loud and clear," Estrada said. "There are concerns about violent gun crime. People are fearful, and we're responding to that."
Among other things, the operation is designed to educate officers and detectives who typically deal with dangerous criminals about the process of presenting cases to federal prosecutors, Estrada said at a news conference in downtown Los Angeles that included officials from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The effort to identify investigations and cases appropriate for federal prosecution is expected to increase the number of arrests, prosecutions and convictions of recidivists engaged in the most violent conduct, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The operation will target crimes involving illicit guns, prohibited persons possessing firearms, or robbery crews that cause havoc and extensive losses to retail establishments, Estrada said.
"We have limited enforcement resources, but we can multiply our efforts by collaborating with our colleagues at local police agencies to have the most significant impact on violent crime," he said.
Estrada told reporters he had spoken to Gascón and the district attorney was "supportive that we're targeting the worst of the worst." However, the county's top prosecutor was not present among the lineup of law enforcement officials Wednesday.
Estrada said federal resources would likely be useful to state investigations when, for example, robbery crews operate across jurisdictional lines or when sophisticated investigative tools are needed to develop leads, process evidence or track firearms.
New LAPD Chief Dominic Choi said that one of his goals is to strengthen the department's relationship with federal law enforcement and expand the number of LAPD staff with the knowledge to recognize which criminal cases could qualify for federal filing consideration.
"We're going out and training detectives in each area," Choi said. "This effort is to ensure the most violent people out there on the streets are prosecuted ... wherever they are committing crimes. Victims of crime deserve justice."