The alabama department of economic and community affairs will serve as the fiscal agent for the united states attorneys office for the middle district of alabama violent crime is on the rise…

The alabama department of economic and community affairs will serve as the fiscal agent for the united states attorneys office for the middle district of alabama violent crime is on the rise throughout the entire middle district of alabama. However, the city of montgomery has the largest population in the middle district of alabama and represents a significant portion of the caseload handled by the united states attorney's office. Shootings in montgomery county have become nearly a daily occurrence. Although a great deal of focus is dedicated on the montgomery area, the reality is that violent crime is itinerate and occurs across multiple jurisdictions. The city of montgomery has numerous major roadways connecting IT to other counties and municipalities. Unfortunately, violent crime rates in adjacent counties - such as macon, lowndes, bullock, and russell - are well over the national average and need attention. Gangs, drug/gun trafficking, and illegal firearm possessions remain the major driving forces behind violent crime. Our office has conducted numerous regional meetings with law enforcement partners and learned that jurisdictions throughout the district are impacted by crime based out of surroundingmetropolitan areas, including those in adjoining states. For example, our office has a seen acontinued increase in crimes and cases from macon and LEE counties, both of which have a majorinterstate highway running through them that connects montgomery and atlanta. In addition, othermetropolitan areas located in russell and houston counties have seen an influx of violent crimefrom georgia and florida. Therefore, connecting criminal activity occurring in different jurisdictions is essential in combatting violent crime. FY2024 funds will support PSN partners continued efforts to reduce the occurrence of violent gang-related incidents through both reactive and proactive efforts in collaboration with federal, state, and local law enforcement, and informed by data and real time intelligence. The mdal will continue to focus on the coordination of existing gun violence reduction services and prosecution as its strategic priority. Additionally, the mdal will work with our partners and encourage the effective use of crime gun intelligence from systems such as the national integrated ballistic information network (nibin) to rapidly identify and investigate serial offenders plaguing our communities.