Attorney General Jeff Sessions rolled out a revitalized program aimed at reducing violent crime across the nation.
The program, called Project Safe Neighborhoods, has been around since 2001.
Today's announcement is designed to breath new life into the initiative, giving law enforcement the tools needed to bring in the most dangerous criminals.
U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman told News 5 the reinvigorated program will put more officers on the streets through the use of grant money as well as expand and enhance the programs used to identify the most violent offenders in northeast Ohio.
"It's about identifying places where we can reduce violent crime. It's targeting gangs, it's targeting firearm possession, it's targeting violent groups that are out there on our streets," Herdman said.
According to Herdman, in years when the program was fully active, the nation saw about a 4 percent drop in violent crime and as much as a 42 percent drop in some local areas.
The Attorney General said in a statement the "Project Safe Neighborhoods is not just one policy idea among many. This is the centerpiece of our crime reduction strategy."
Citing FBI statistics, Sessions said the violent crime rate climbed about 7 percent over the past two years and the homicide rate has increased by about 20 percent nationwide.
"We cannot be complacent or hope that this is just an anomaly: we have a duty to take action," Sessions said.
Additional resources will help state, federal and local law enforcement share information in an effort to keep neighborhoods safe from the most violent criminals.
