Indiana law enforcement officials met with U.S. Attorneys from around the country in Indianapolis this week to discuss ways to address the problem of violent crime.
Acting U.S. Attorney for Indiana's Southern District Josh Minkler says federal prosecutors can no longer use prosecutions as the sole metric for how effective their fight against violent crime is; he says prevention and reentry back into society should also be considered.
Minkler says that strategy is conscious of the tight budgets many communities face.
"The primary focus cannot be, any longer, arresting and incarcerating our way out of a violent crime problem. That requires more resources, which we simply do not have," he says.
U.S. Attorney for Illinois' Southern District Stephen Wigginton says his office established a violent crime task force in the East Saint Louis area that involves federal, state and local law enforcement meeting on a biweekly basis.
"Identify those hot areas where we want to put our limited law enforcement resources on those hottest areas, those hottest people so that we are being targeted in our approach," Wigginton says. "I think somebody referred to it this week as fishing with a spear rather than fishing with a net."
Minkler says he will follow up with communities around the state to help ensure the ideas shared in the conference are being put to use.