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Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Delivers Remarks at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi
Remarks as Delivered
Thanks, Todd, and thanks for the warm welcome.
I am very happy to be here in Mississippi.
In just a few moments, Todd and I will meet with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to talk about the work that everyone is doing to keep Mississippi safe.
I am grateful that I have the chance to meet with our law enforcement partners here today. You do the work, the most dangerous work, protecting people in Mississippi. You are indispensable partners for us.
I am very happy to hear that the sheriff’s investigator is okay, and that the perpetrators have been arrested. Just another piece of evidence about how dangerous the work that local law enforcement does, and we are grateful for everything that you do to protect the citizens of these communities and to work with our law enforcement and our U.S. Attorney’s Office on the same mission. Thank you.
I am also grateful to have the chance to recognize the extraordinary public servants of this office for their extraordinary work and their extraordinary hard work.
This U.S. Attorney’s Office is the face of the Justice Department here in the Southern District of Mississippi. When people in this District look to see what the Justice Department stands for, they look to this U.S. Attorney’s Office. I have been consistently impressed with the work that you guys do.
That work, and the work of our state and local law enforcement partners, is making a difference.
Three-and-a-half years ago, the Justice Department launched an ambitious strategy to combat violent crime. That strategy is rooted in exactly the kinds of partnerships we see around this table. Today, we are seeing results.
Just earlier this week, the FBI released a report noting an 11.6% drop in homicides last year and one of the lowest violent crime rates nationwide in 50 years.
And newly released data indicates that this trend is continuing. Earlier this month, the Justice Department’s Violent Crime Reduction Steering Committee announced data from across 88 cities that indicates that violent crime has continued to decline considerably in 2024. That included a further 16.9% drop in homicides.
But we know that progress in many communities is still uneven. And, of course, there is no acceptable level of violent crime.
That is why the Justice Department is continuing to work with our partners here in Mississippi and across the country to combat violent crime, and drug trafficking, and gun trafficking.
Last month, working with the DEA, this office secured a guilty plea from a member of a drug-trafficking organization in California that sent packages of narcotics to Mississippi. During the investigation, we seized more than 5,700 grams of methamphetamine, 236 grams of fentanyl, and 84 grams of cocaine.
In July – following a joint operation with ATF, DEA, and other federal agencies – this office secured guilty pleas from five men who participated in a scheme to purchase firearms, machinegun conversion devices, and explosives for delivery to Mexico. Three of the men sought to barter the weapons in exchange for cocaine.
In March – working with the ATF and the Clinton Police Department – this office secured a 10-year sentence for a man who illegally possessed a firearm and fired a weapon at a law enforcement officer during a high-speed chase in Jackson.
As we work together to reduce violent crime, we know that building and maintaining public trust is essential to public safety. That is why the Justice Department has taken action when that trust has been violated.
Earlier this year, the Department worked to secure [10 to 40-year] sentences against six law enforcement officers in Rankin County who violated the civil rights of Black men.
The officers kicked in the door of a home where the men were residing; handcuffed and arrested them without probable cause; called them racial slurs; and punched, kicked, tased, and assaulted them. After one of the officers fired his gun in the mouth of a victim, the group went outside to come up with a cover story.
Those actions were a betrayal of the community the officers were sworn to protect, a betrayal of their profession, and a betrayal of their fellow officers.
To help the community rebuild trust, the Justice Department launched a civil pattern or practice investigation to examine allegations that the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department systematically violates people’s constitutional rights. We are committed to working with local officials, deputies, and the community to conduct a comprehensive investigation.
The Justice Department is also committed to providing resources necessary to support public safety here in Mississippi.
Earlier this year, the Justice Department added Jackson to its Violent Crime Initiative. That initiative surges law enforcement tools and resources to target gangs and other violent groups that threaten our communities. In particular, it directs prosecutors from the Justice Department’s headquarters Criminal Division to partner with our prosecutors here on the ground in Jackson to target the individuals who are most responsible for the violence.
In addition to using our investigative and prosecutorial resources, we are also committed to using our grantmaking capabilities to invest in public safety.
For example, today, the Justice Department awarded nearly $300,000 to enhance the City of Jackson’s forensic science capabilities. We also awarded nearly $900,000 under our Coordinated Tribal Assistance Program, which funds Tribes’ efforts to develop comprehensive and coordinated approaches to public safety.
These grants are part of the more than $29 million that the Justice Department is awarding to organizations and government agencies in Mississippi this month to support law enforcement activities and community initiatives.
These funds will, among other things, help law enforcement agencies in Mississippi hire more officers, prevent and combat violent crime and drug trafficking, and improve services for survivors of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and other crimes.
We remain committed to providing our law enforcement and community partners with the resources they need to protect their communities.
The examples I have shared today are just a snapshot of the extraordinary work that this office is doing every day to protect people in the District, and to fulfill the Justice Department’s mission to ensure the rule of law, to keep our communities safe, and to protect civil rights.
I am very proud of the public servants who make up this office. And I am equally proud of the relationships that they have built with the law enforcement agencies around this table. Those partnerships are the essence of the way in which we combat violent crime and protect our communities.
I thank you. I am looking forward to our meeting now.
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