US Justice Department Expands Carjacking Task Forces

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The Justice Department today said that 11 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices have now established a carjacking task force to concentrate resources on the public safety threat. This move builds on the earlier efforts and best practices learned from carjacking task forces in the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of Columbia, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and Middle District of Florida where data show carjacking rates are now falling.

“The Justice Department has no higher priority than keeping our communities safe. We do so by targeting the most significant drivers of violent crime and by acting as a force multiplier for our state and local law enforcement partners. We’re seeing results with violent crime declining broadly nationwide,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.

The Department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime, is said to be a strategic enforcement priority for the Department, focusing federal resources on identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the most significant drivers of violent crime.

The newly formed task forces will be led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), working alongside state, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement partners. “At initial kickoff meetings, task force members will come together to institute expedited sharing and prompt action procedures related to car thefts, carjackings, and the recovery of stolen or suspect vehicles — as well as effective evidence gathering and technology exploitation strategies,” DOJ said.

The task forces will also collaborate on how to use federal sentencing enhancements for cases where adults use juveniles to commit carjackings, as well as work with state and local authorities to ensure the appropriate handling of juvenile suspects. The task forces will also assist state and local officials who wish to seek Justice Department grant funding for juvenile intervention and diversion resources.