Kansas City Operation LeGend Shares Crime Crackdown Numbers Amid New Phase

This afternoon authorities called upon MSM to talk about a controversial law enforcement effort that is now in transition. 

The federal initiative was named after a Kansas City youngster who was shot dead in his sleep. Protesters initially denounced the local effort but LeGend's mom was an outspoken defender of investigators who charged a suspect in her son's killing. 

As a deadly Summer dragged on, there was growing local skepticism given the record pace of KCMO homicides. Last week a 1-year-old boy was slaughtered in a hail of gunfire and shortly thereafter news outlets noted that most of the federal agents have already departed KCMO.

Now, Kansas City stands only 8 homicides from an all-time murder record.

Here is the statement and more info from authorities regarding this undertaking:

Operation LeGend Results in Over 500 Arrests, Including 37 Murder Suspects, Officers Seized 176 Firearms

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison, at a joint press conference with Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith, announced today that 518 arrests have been made by local and federal law enforcement officers in Operation LeGend.

“On behalf of the team of federal law enforcement agencies involved in this groundbreaking initiative, I made certain promises when Operation LeGend was launched,” Garrison said. “Those promises have been kept. The FBI, the ATF, the DEA, and the U.S. Marshals Service worked collaboratively and effectively with the Kansas City Police Department and other local law enforcement agencies to accomplish the objectives of Operation LeGend. We created a model for others to follow. Our success in Kansas City is now being duplicated in eight more cities across the nation.”

Promises Made, Promises Kept

“We promised that Operation LeGend would be a short-term, high-impact strategy to freeze the escalation of violent crime and respond to the record number of homicides in Kansas City this year,” Garrison said. “That promise was kept. Operation LeGend has had a significant impact on violent crime in Kansas City, and those efforts will continue.”

During the 10 weeks from the announcement of Operation LeGend on July 8 through Sept. 16, homicides in Kansas City were down 22 percent, non-fatal shootings were down 24 percent, and aggravated assaults were down 44 percent, as compared to the 10 weeks before July 8.

“We promised that federal agents would work alongside local law enforcement, in a supportive role to provide additional support and assistance,” Garrison said. “That promise was kept, and in the process, valuable lessons were gained for how to confront violent crime.”

For example, the FBI has doubled the number of agents working violent crime cases and embedded agents with the Kansas City Police Department’s violent crime unit. The ATF has added a new unit that is permanently embedded with Kansas City’s assault squad. Intelligence has been gained and shared among law enforcement agencies to improve future investigations. “These strategies for collaborating with local law enforcement have been successful, and will continue,” Garrison said.

“We promised there would be no storm troopers patrolling the streets of Kansas City, no interference with the civil rights of protesters engaged in public demonstrations,” Garrison said. “Despite accusations of a federal occupation, we have worked cooperatively with both local law enforcement and local community leaders. None of those dire predictions from our critics came to pass.”

“I’ve also said, from the start of Operation LeGend, that law enforcement would not be the sole solution to violent crime,” Garrison added. “Violence is a community issue, and requires a community-wide response.”

“I hope that by keeping the promises we made, by doing what we said we would do, we’ve established a level of trust and credibility that will continue to bear fruit,” Garrison said.

Among those arrested since the launch of Operation LeGend, 126 are federal defendants in the Western District of Missouri (with additional federal cases referred to U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Kansas and Texas). Among the remaining arrests, 37 were homicide cases. In addition to the arrests, agents and officers have seized 176 firearms, large quantities of illegal drugs, and several stolen vehicles during Operation LeGend.

Among the homicide arrests made under Operation LeGend was the defendant charged in state court with murder of 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro, in whose memory the operation was named.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office does not track cases that are referred for prosecution in state court or in other districts. Defendants have been charged in the Western District of Missouri with the following federal crimes:

- 70 defendants have been charged with firearms-related offenses;

- 45 defendants have been charged with drug trafficking offenses;

- 11 defendants have been charged with other violent crimes.

Operation LeGend

"Operation LeGend is a federal partnership with local law enforcement to address the increase in homicides and violent crime in Kansas City, Mo., in 2020. The operation honors the memory of four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, one of the youngest fatalities during a record-breaking year of homicides and shootings. Additional federal agents were assigned to the operation from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service."

****************

Here's local news follow-up . . .

Check the links:

KSHB: Operation LeGend transitions to ‘new phase’ in Kansas City

KMBC: The operation led to a drop in crime during a 10-week period from July to mid-September

KCUR: Federal Agents Have Left Kansas City, But Officials Say Anti-Crime Operation LeGend Continues

Developing . . .

Comments

  1. It was a good start. A consistent effort is needed for success.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Take the guns away. That's the start we need.

      Delete
    2. Name the first person you're going to take a gun away from? Address?

      Delete
  2. ^^You. Give me you address. I’ll be there soon. I’m your huckleberry.

    ReplyDelete
  3. And the murders continue...

    ReplyDelete
  4. So the cops are bragging about seizing guns but the GOP won’t even stop the mental ill from amassing gun arsenals? I’m confused. So guns are good except then they arent?

    ReplyDelete
  5. 6:22 just crushed 6:10...😂

    ReplyDelete
  6. So when is Gwen Grant scheduling her press conference to APOLOGIZE to the feds for protesting, marching around, and calling them "an occupying force"?
    Shouldn't the "leaders" on the east side be thanking these folks for getting as many thugs and illegal guns off the streets as they did?
    Especially after the murder of a four year-old.
    Followed by the senseless killing of a 22 month-old.
    Horrendous.

    ReplyDelete
  7. “This afternoon authorities called upon MSM to talk about a controversial law enforcement effort that is now in transition.“

    How is taking murderers off the street controversial? It was named after a murdered black kid and designed to help the black community.

    Hell, qball asked for the help amiright!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Typical Trump.

    Hold press conferences and photo ops, issue fake numbers, declare victory, then quit and go home.

    While Trump and Barr claimed Mission Accomplished, everyone here knows the current situation hasn't improved at all.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Are 500 Legendary Arrests enough to bring back our 25,000,000 Anal Tourists?

    ReplyDelete
  10. And for those of you who missed the press conference, you only missed several comments from the local media about how the feds keep violent offenders in custody and the Jackson County Prosecutor and Judges keep letting them out when they’re charged at the state level. Anyone with some time to check court records on Casenet will see that numerous murder, rape, robbery, and shooting suspects have been let out by the judges this year and the prosecutors office rarely contests their release or push for high bonds. Jackson County will be a shit hole ran by thugs until there are new judges and a prosecutor like all of the other surrounding counties who don’t play around (JoCo, Platte, Clay, and Cass). Thank you to the Feds and KCPD for doing your part. Now it’s up to Jean and the Judges on the state cases. We all know the people indicted federally won’t be getting out.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Any arrests for tax evasion? I’d pay $750 to see that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not for Trump. NYT says no wrongdoing. O noes!

      Delete
  12. ^^^ good luck with that, the irs has no problem with it, the despicable dimwit run New York has been going after trump since he became president. This is clearly a problem with ny hating trump and nothing more.

    ReplyDelete
  13. ^^and now they have him dead to rights. Weird.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nah. Where are the charges? There won't be any, as there was no crime. Sorry Chimp!

      Delete
  14. ^^and yet tax fraud has ALWAYS been a crime in this country. Moron. So weird.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, not really always, but let's not split hairs. The important thing your Chimp mind failed to connect is that even the NYT admitted there were no crimes here. Or even unusual practice.

      Sad Chimpy! Lol

      Delete
  15. Lucas will be arrested before the end of 2020. The Feds are still investigating Quinton Lucas. He and his allies will be brought to justice. The law professor is a ring leader.

    ReplyDelete
  16. ^^and yet not one thing you said is true. Typical. Weird.

    ReplyDelete
  17. ^^No, what's important is your infatuation with everything this "chimp" posts. You can't resist him! You're so in love! He lives in your head rent-free! Everyday you beg for his affections, but he doesn't seem to know who YOU are. It's as if he owns you..he does!! Dance for us monkey, your master demands it!

    ReplyDelete

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