The Justice Department's Operation Legend has helped cut Chicago's murder rate in half, said U.S. Attorney General William Barr in a Wednesday press conference in the Windy City.
The federal law-enforcement action has resulted in 500 arrests and the charging of 124 people with federal criminal charges, officials said, according to Fox News.
"The results of those actions speak for themselves: over the first five weeks of Operation Legend in Chicago, murders dropped by 50% over the previous five weeks. August ultimately saw a 45% decrease in murders compared to July, and a 35% decrease compared to June," Barr said.
Other cities are Albuquerque, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Memphis, Milwaukee and St Louis.
The attorney general noted Democratic Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Police Superintendent David O. Brown were invited to the press conference but did not attend.
Operation Legend assigned at least 400 federal agents to Chicago. About 200 of the agents were already working there but had their roles repurposed.
More than 1,000 agents have been dispatched nationwide.
Barr acknowledged that Operation Legend isn't the only reason for the drop in the murder rate, but "it is an important part of that drop."
"Operation Legend's success is perhaps most dramatic here in Chicago," Barr said. "When the operation was announced on July 22, homicides in the city were up 51% over 2019. Over the previous weekend, more than 60 people had been shot in Chicago, with over a dozen fatalities."
Nationwide, more than 2,500 people have been arrested and 600 are facing federal charges.
Barr pointed out that, unlike state defendants, federal defendants arrested for violent crimes are often detained before trial.
"In addition, federal defendants will face serious sentences if convicted, with a real possibility of long-term imprisonment ... knowing that, many of the arrestees cooperate with the government and lead to even more violent offenders," he said.
The federal action was named for 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was fatally wounded in Kansas City, Missouri, by a bullet meant for somebody else.
Barr said the increase in violence in Chicago and other cities prompted the launch of the program in July.
"The purpose of the operation was to make clear that his life mattered, his name should be remembered and other innocent victims like him, including the 8-year-old girl killed in Chicago on Labor Day, should not suffer such senseless death."
In addition to Kansas City, where it was started, Operation Legend has been expanded across eight cities: Albuquerque, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Memphis, Milwaukee and St Louis.
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