Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco Delivers Remarks at the Justice Department’s Annual Crime Gun Intelligence Center Conference

Note: View the Deputy Attorney General’s recorded remarks here.

Remarks as Delivered

Good morning, everyone.

It’s great to join you from Washington for day two of the Crime Gun Intelligence Center Annual Conference.

I hope yesterday was terrific.

And I’m grateful to Chief Morales and the Miami Police Department for hosting this year’s training — and to President Jim Burch and his team at the National Policing Institute, the Bureau of Justice Assistance, and ATF for their collaboration and leadership to make this happen.

As leaders across law enforcement, you are at the forefront of the effort to reverse the violent crime uptick that started during the pandemic in 2020. 

And I know each of you and your teams have worked tirelessly to respond to that uptick in your own jurisdictions.

Since 2021, the Justice Department has been executing a comprehensive strategy to reduce violent crime — a strategy rooted in local communities like yours and built on four pillars:

1. Focusing on the most significant drivers of violent crime — like violent repeat offenders;
2. Building trust in the communities we serve;
3. Investing in community-based prevention and intervention programs; and
4. Measuring the results of our efforts by impact, through actual decreases in violent crime.

And at the Department of Justice, we’re focused on supporting you by doing what we do best:

Serving as a force multiplier for our state and local law enforcement partners.

That means bringing the resources needed to go after the most significant drivers of violent crime.

It means surging personnel where it’s most needed.

And it means investing in technology and innovative, data-driven strategies.

Thanks to the hard work of local, state, and federal law enforcement, our violent crime reduction strategy is paying real dividends across the country — including in cities like Miami.

Last year, violent crime decreased, on average, by almost 6 percent nationwide.

Murders were down 13 percent.

Early numbers this year indicate the positive trends are continuing — with murders down more than 26 percent in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period last year. 

An essential ingredient to this life-saving trend is one you know well — and it brings you here today: crime gun intelligence.

From Pitt County, North Carolina, to Pinal County, Arizona, and from Chattanooga to Chicago — you’re all coming together across all levels of law enforcement to keep people safe from gun violence.

Crime gun intelligence centers epitomize the ‘one team, one fight’ approach that makes good law enforcement great.

With U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, ATF, your colleagues, and others working shoulder to shoulder, under one roof — you’re swiftly generating more leads.

You’re identifying the most dangerous trigger pullers and taking them off the streets.

And you’re pushing case-closure rates up and driving violent crime down.

Despite real progress, though, this work is far from over.

Every community is touched by gun violence. So, every community stands to benefit from crime gun intelligence.

As you’ve experienced, the return on investment for CGICs is profound — it’s measured in lives saved, families united, and streets made safer.

Just yesterday, the Attorney General was in Cleveland opening a new CGIC.

A couple months ago, I was in Chicago to announce an expanded site there.

So, I want to be clear: CGICs are a Department of Justice priority.

We need to bring more crime gun intelligence to more law enforcement agencies, in more jurisdictions, more quickly than ever before — from the smallest towns to the biggest cities.

Together, you are testament to the power of these investments.

But we know there’s still much more to be done.

The current budget from Congress cuts critical resources for the Department of Justice to further this priority.

But now’s not the time to hit the brakes — now’s the time to step on the gas.

Because we know crime gun intelligence works.

And by investing in it, we can keep more communities safe — which is what they deserve.

It’s as simple as that.

So, to close out, I want to express my gratitude to all of you for paving the way on this issue — for your commitment to this training, and for all you do for your communities.

On behalf of the Department of Justice — thank you for your service — and for the sacrifices you make every day alongside your fellow law enforcement officers.

We’re so proud to stand with you.

Enjoy day two — and keep leading the way.