Grassley to Justice Dept.: How do you fight violent crime by moving funds away from law enforcement?

WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is looking for answers to the many questions raised by the Justice Department’s new strategy to combat violent crime.

 

“I am concerned as I review your very different answer to the problem of rising violent crime. First, I must tell you it is extremely difficult to discern what you are committing to do at all.… your use of terms about shifting attention to community-based programs and setting strategic enforcement priorities has led me believe your intention is to shift money and attention away from direct law enforcement to other priorities, in short, to defund the police,” Grassley wrote in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland.

 

Grassley is seeking clarity regarding the vague terms used by the department in recent press releases, the actual change in funding for various programs related to researching and combatting violent crime, and what types of criminal activity will be de-prioritized with this new strategy.

 

Full text of Grassley’s letter can be found HERE.

 

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