U.S. Attorney Gregg Sofer on Friday announced that federal officials will begin working to reduce violent crime in Austin, though details were scarce about how the existing partnerships between local and federal law enforcement agencies would be enhanced.
Sofer introduced Operation Undaunted in downtown Austin, flanked by two large charts that showed how homicides and aggravated assaults rose this year in Austin compared to 2019. Violent crime is skyrocketing in the Austin area. . We simply cannot and will not stand idly by as violent criminals take over our streets, Sofer said.
Some experts wondered if the announcement was more political than practical as incoming presidential administrations typically replace U.S. attorneys as they establish new agendas at the Justice Department.
Chances are good that the gun used to kill the person you read about on the streets of Bridgeport, New Haven, Hartford, Stamford, Danbury, Norwalk or Waterbury came from another state, often, but not always, down south where the laws are less stringent, authorities say.
And if a gun is in the hands of a criminal, it may well be used in multiple shootings and other crimes, authorities say.
“I’ve seen (evidence) of a gun being used in 10-15 different crimes” in Connecticut metropolitan areas, said Scott Riordan, resident agent in charge of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Connecticut Office in New Haven. “That’s how a lot of our gang cases are worked.”