September 19, 11

NEWS / Statement of Attorney General Eric Holder on the 2010 Uniform Crime Report

WASHINGTON – Attorney General Eric Holder today issued the following statement on the release of the 2010 Uniform Crime Report, which showed a decline in violent crime across the United States for the second straight year:

“Safe communities are the foundation of our nation’s prosperity and I have made it a priority of this Department of Justice to protect the American public by aggressively fighting violent crime. The results of the 2010 Uniform Crime Report show that for the second straight year, our federal law enforcement agents continue to make progress on one of our core objectives -- fighting violent crime across this country.

“Working with our state, local and tribal partners, federal prosecutors and agents have increased community participation in our shared efforts to hold accountable those whose illegal actions bring fear into neighborhoods. We’ve targeted gang leadership in communities from Florida to New York, and from Tennessee to North Carolina. We’ve renewed our commitment to fighting organized crime, whether it is traditional La Cosa Nostra or Mexican drug cartels.

“Ensuring that law enforcement has the necessary resources is critical to continuing our aggressive fight against violent crime. We also recognize that enforcement alone will not prevent every future crime, which is why we’ve launched initiatives in communities across this country to fight recidivism and support reentry programs.

“Each crime that is solved, each victim that is helped and each criminal act that is prevented before it even occurs - all combine to create better law enforcement and most importantly, safer communities.”

Information about the 2010 Uniform Crime Report can be found at: www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011/september/crime_091911/crime_091911

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/September/11-ag-1205.html