DOJ makes 1,500 arrests in 10 cities during violent crime crackdown

The Justice Department (DOJ) has made more than 1,500 arrests across 10 cities in the past month as part of an operation to crack down on violent crime, according to a Wednesday news release.

The release says that the U.S. Marshals Service completed a 30-day initiative at the end of last month, called Operation North Star, to arrest sex offenders, “violent criminals” and self-identified gang members. 

The operation prioritized arresting those who used a firearm in their crime or exhibited risk factors associated with violence. The Marshals Service made 230 arrests for homicide and 131 for sexual assault and seized 166 firearms, more than $53,600 in currency and more than 33 kilograms of illegal narcotics, the release states. 

The arrests occurred in Baltimore, Chicago, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Memphis, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. 

“The Justice Department is committed to doing everything we can to protect our communities from violent crime and end the plague of gun violence,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in the release.

“Operation North Star reflects the approach we are taking across the Department to work in partnership with law enforcement agencies and communities to identify and hold accountable those responsible for the greatest violence.” 

The release states that the Marshals Service pooled resources and expertise with federal, state and local agencies.

“By partnering with our local and state partners, we are able to hone in on the most dangerous criminals who cause the most harm,” Marshals Service Director Ronald Davis said in the release. 

Some of the arrests noted in the release were a man wanted for homicide after a hit-and-run that killed a 10-year-old girl, a man wanted in connection with a drive-by shooting that injured a seven-year-old girl and a man wanted for two first-degree murder counts stemming from a cold case in 2003.