In an effort to combat violent crime, two Arkansas cities are among five nationwide being added to the Violence Reduction Network. The program by the U.S. Department of Justice does not provide additional funding, but Chris Thyer, U.S. Attorney for the eastern district of Arkansas, says it will allow access to resources and expertise to help police departments in Little Rock and West Memphis.
"The goal obviously is to reduce the violence in both of these two communities in our state. But Little Rock's violence problem is different from West Memphis' violence problem, so what this is trying to do is focus on what the chiefs of police in the two cities feel is causing their problems and focusing on that particular cause or causes," Thyer told KUAR News.
Other cities added to the list Monday were Compton, California, Flint, Michigan and Newark, New Jersey.
Thyer, Little Rock Police Chief Kenton Buckner and West Memphis Police Chief Donald Oakes are taking part in a conference this week in Detroit to learn more about the program, which is in its second year. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Thyer said the police chiefs can make specific requests about what assistance would be beneficial for their communities.
It's a collaborative approach designed to find the best strategies for cities that a federal analysis has identified as having violence levels far above the national average. They also have exhibited a recent spike in violent crime.
"Things that Little Rock and West Memphis are going to get out of this clearly are opportunities for training. And if Little Rock needs training in a particular area, then there are people in the Department of Justice who provide that training and are willing to bring that in to Little Rock immediately," Thyer said.
In the first year of the program, Detroit, Chicago, Camden, New Jersey, Wilmington, Delaware and Oakland, California were named to the Violence Reduction Network. Officials say efforts led to the arrests of many dangerous suspects in those areas.
In a statement, Deputy U.S. Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates said the program "uses every tool in the Justice Department's toolbox to help communities combat violent crime. And we deploy these resources in a targeted, strategic, data-driven way to get the most bang for our buck."
Other federal agencies offering assistance through the program include the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
