As Operation LeGend expands to St. Louis, Missouri Gov. Parson pursues anti-crime agenda
The controversial anti-crime initiative Operation LeGend, which promised to send hundreds of federal law enforcement officials into Kansas City, is expanding to St. Louis and Memphis.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, who is pushing a package of anti-crime legislation being debated this week by lawmakers in Jefferson City, joined U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen in St. Louis Thursday afternoon to announce the program’s arrival in the city.
Operation LeGend was also recently expanded to Chicago, Albuquerque, Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee.
“Today, we have extended Operation Legend to Memphis and St. Louis, two cities experiencing increases in violent crime that no resident of those cities should have to accept as part of everyday life,” said U.S. Attorney General William Barr in a statement.
“For decades, the Department of Justice has achieved significant success when utilizing our anti-violent crime task forces and federal law enforcement agents to enforce federal law and assist American cities that are experiencing upticks in violent crime. The Department of Justice’s assets will supplement local law enforcement efforts, as we work together to take the shooters and chronic violent criminals off of our streets.”
Both St. Louis and Memphis have seen a jump in violent crime over the last year. St. Louis homicides are up nearly 34% and non-fatal shootings more than 13%, according to the release.
In Memphis homicides have spiked more than 49% and reported gun crimes 23 percent. Aggravated assault shootings are up more than 19%.
The federal initiative, advertised as an effort to reduce violent crime in cities, has received pushback from community members in Kansas City. Critics have said sending more federal law enforcement into the city would harm Black residents and other vulnerable populations.
Local activists also say the operation ignores recent protests against police violence and racism. Some favor cutting local police budgets so that more funding can go to education, healthcare and other social services.
Critics worry that the presence of federal agents would bring violence of the kind seen in Portland, where unidentified officers allegedly detained protesters in unmarked vans.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Kansas City said Operation LeGend would not bear any resemblance to Portland.
Last week, U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison announced that local and federal officers have made 97 arrests as part of the initiative, named after 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was fatally shot in late June in Kansas City.
The arrests were made between July 15 and 31 and included 11 defendants who face federal charges. Nine of those are also charged with illegally possessing firearms. Of the remaining arrests, 49 were fugitives with state or federal warrants and 39 were referred to state courts. Five of the arrests were for homicides.
About 50 additional agents from the Department of Homeland Security will work federal agents from the ATF, DEA, FBI and U.S. Marshals Service and St. Louis police to target gun and gang violence.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance will also provide $1 million to support local law enforcement in shot spotter responses and violent crime investigations in St. Louis. The Department of Justice will also fund two special assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Missouri Attorney General’s Office to support prosecutions.
The Justice Department is sending 16 federal investigators to the city on a temporary assignment for 90 days. That will be followed by 24 permanent agent assignments from the FBI, DEA, ATF and Homeland Security Investigations.
While Parson was appearing with officials in St. Louis, the Missouri Senate was hours into debate on anti-crime legislation pushed by the governor as part of a special session he called last month.
The wide-ranging legislation includes numerous elements. It would create a fund to protect witnesses who face danger for coming forward to help solve crimes and also allow recorded witness statements to be used in court if that witness is murdered for stepping forward.
Penalties would be increased for adults who unlawfully transfer weapons to a minor, and adults who coerce kids to commit weapons crimes could be charged with endangering the welfare of a child. It would also eliminate residency requirements for St. Louis police officers, but leave similar requirements intact for Kansas City officers.
The provision that’s drawn the most controversy would give a judge the authority to decide a child as young as 12 years old should be tried as an adult for unlawful use of weapons and armed criminal action.
Parson and his Republican colleagues argue the legislative package will help reduce crime that is plaguing Kansas City and St. Louis.
“People have a right to feel safe in their homes, for kids to be able to ride their bikes down the street,” said state Sen. Doug Libla, a Poplar Bluff Republican sponsoring the crime legislation. “It’s just not the way it is right now in a lot of places.”
Democrats panned the governor’s special session agenda, arguing that Republicans are ignoring more pressing issues, such as police accountability measures, to appear “tough on crime” during an election year.
“Even if you like everything included in the bill, there is acknowledgment that this falls short of actually tackling the serious issue of tackling violent crime,” said state Sen. Lauren Arthur, D-Kansas City. “If we really want to be serious, let’s look at the underlying causes and ways we can invest in our communities to prevent violent crime from happening in the first place.”
State Sen. Brian Williams, D-St. Louis County, last month introduced wide-ranging legislation banning police chokeholds, no-knock warrants and establishing minimum standards for police training across the state, among other provisions.
Parson opposed including any police reform measures in the special session, saying those discussions should wait until lawmakers return to Jefferson City for the 2021 session in January.
“All throughout this county, you have an outcry and an uproar, and people are protesting because they’re angry that there hasn’t been any police reform in a massive way throughout this country,” said state Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis.
The Senate is expected to pass the bill to the House Friday, with that chamber picking it up for debate next week.
This story was originally published August 6, 2020 at 12:37 PM.
