BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - A federal law enforcement task force has been created for police to proactively address crime in the community.
The task force is called VIPER, or Federal Violent Prevention and Elimination Response, will increase resources for a "60-day surge" which will target the communities with the most violent offenders.
"The time has come for the good people of the City of Buffalo, our everyday citizens, to say 'enough is enough'," US Attorney JP Kennedy said Thursday at JFK Park. "We will not tolerate this lawlessness and want in violence. The time has come to take back our streets and restore some measure of public safety."
There has been more than 400 shootings so far in the City of Buffalo this year and Kennedy fears the city is on pace for 90 murders this year, more than double since 27.
One of the initiatives that will be taken by the task force is "enhanced targeted enforcement". Kennedy said this means federal agencies like the FBI, ATF, Homeland Security, and others will allocate more resources in specific communities to supplement Buffalo Police.
Kennedy acknowledged, though, that this measure may prompt some to believe they're turning specific neighborhoods into minimal security prisons, which is why he said they will "fish with a spear, not a net."
"We're going to seek enhanced federal prosecutions," Kennedy said. "Specifically, we're going to prioritize the arrest and federal prosecution of prohibited individuals who possess firearms or ammunition."
Those who also buy, sell, or traffic guns will also be an emphasis of prosecutions.
Police will also do daily reviews of gun arrests to see if a person in custody should face state or federal prosecutions, or both.
"Law enforcement cannot solve this problem alone," Kennedy said. "We need the help of this community. We need the help of every citizen in Buffalo and in New York. The last 18 months have taught us that effective, proactive policing, cannot take place unless the community supports it. The only way the community will support it is if they feel like they are being treated fairly and with respect and in accordance with constitutional rights that each of us share."
Kennedy said the task force will also emphasize community engagement and build the bridge between law enforcement and urban communities.
"It's time for us to start thinking of 'us vs them' as the community and the cops versus violent offenders," Kennedy said. "It's time to start healing these wounds and division in our community. While law enforcement has, and I'm not suggesting it's without some justification, been repeatedly called out by the community of late, the community and law enforcement need to begin the healing process. My expectation is that if VIPER will help to bring about some of that healing by re-casting both the perception and reality of law enforcement as community caretakers, not community troublemakers."