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Politics
Orlando, 3 other cities get help to fight crime
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published June 2, 2007
WASHINGTON - A violent crime spike in Orlando and three other cities led the Justice Department on Friday to dispatch additional teams of federal agents to combat guns, gangs or surging murder rates. The other cities are Mesa, Ariz.; San Bernardino, Calif.; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Orlando police spokeswoman Barbara Jones said the department "welcomes any additional federal support in our efforts to combat violent crime." Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced the federal effort while speaking to employees at the Washington headquarters of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. "Each of these cities has seen an unacceptable increase in homicides or other violent crimes, " he said. "Authorities in each have come forward and asked for our help." The influx of agents brings the number of ATF Violent Crime Impact Teams, which first deployed three years ago, to 29 cities, including Tampa and Miami. The FBI is also adding to its more than 180 Safe Streets Task Forces by sending one to Orlando, which Gonzales said has been plagued by gang violence.
[Last modified June 2, 2007, 01:55:21]
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