Sessions to Establish Prosecution Gun Crimes Team in Chicago

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US Attorney General Jeff Sessions has filed a motion opposing a Chicago Police Department settlement agreement that unduly restricts officers and threatens the city’s safety, the Justice Department said in a press release.

"Sessions today announced that he is… filing a brief opposing a proposed consent decree on Chicago police," the release said on Friday. The Justice Department, according to the release, believes the consent decree would deprive local officials of the flexibility they need to ensure the safety of the people in Chicago.

In August 2017, the state of Illinois sued Chicago, alleging the use of excessive force and racially biased policing, the release said. In September 2018, Illinois and Chicago submitted a proposed consent decree to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois for approval. The court has provided a public comment period on the proposed consent decree, which is set to close on October 12, the release noted.

The Justice Department also said in a press release on Friday that Jeff Sessions is deploying additional prosecutors to Chicago.

"Sessions is sending five additional violent crime prosecutors to Chicago," the release said on Friday. "With these additional resources, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois John Lausch is creating a Gun Crimes Prosecution Team that will focus on investigating and prosecuting gun cases from the most violent neighborhoods in Chicago."

READ MORE: Chicago Police Revealed to Use Force More Often on Young Black Men

The murder surge in Chicago is a direct result of the unjustified restrictions on proper policing and disrespect for US police offers, Sessions said in the release.

The release noted that in 2016 Chicago saw its biggest single-year increase in the murder rate in the last 60 years. The murder rate jumped 68.5 percent above the previous 10-year average, according to the release.

In the same release, the Justice Department said Sessions filed a brief on Friday opposing a Chicago Police Department settlement agreement because the reforms contained within would threaten public safety.

In 2017, the release said, Sessions created the Chicago Crime Gun Strike Force by providing a permanent team of 21 additional permanent special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, six intelligence research specialists, 12 task force officers from the Chicago Police Department, two task force officers from the Illinois State Police, and four ballistics specialists who are focused on the most violent offenders in the most violent areas.