Reducing Crime in American Cities: An Opportunity to Lead

The following article was originally published on January 26, 2017 by The Trace.

Police Groups to Trump: Here’s How You Can ‘Send in the Feds,’ and Actually Make a Dent in Urban Crime

Law enforcement leaders recommend more money for the ATF, stricter gun laws, and sharper focus on the "alarming recent trend of increasing homicides and shootings" in major U.S. cities.

By Miles Kohrman

A day after President Donald Trump threatened to “send in the feds” if Chicago can’t get a grip on its gun violence problem, a new report coauthored by two leading police groups reveals what many in the law enforcement community already know: that the majority of cities already receive federal assistance to combat violent crime, and that federal government resources and personnel are broadly welcomed at the local level.

The report, published by the Police Foundation, a nonprofit founded by law enforcement officials, and the Major Cities Chiefs Association, which represents police chiefs and sheriffs of the 68 largest law enforcement agencies in the nation, also includes a series of recommendations that puts it at odds with the gun lobby and its allies in Congress and the White House. The police groups call for an expansion of background checks to cover all gun purchases, a ban on high-capacity magazines, the repeal of a National Rifle Association-backed amendment that severely restricts the federal government’s ability to share data about guns used in crimes, and increased levels of federal funding for gun violence research.

The report also urges Congress to pass a federal gun-trafficking law that includes penalties for straw purchasing; an increase in the budget for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; and making investigation tools, like ballistic imaging, more widely available to local law enforcement.