"Sessions today announced that he is… filing a brief opposing a proposed consent decree on Chicago police," the release said on Friday. The Justice Department, according to the release, believes the consent decree would deprive local officials of the flexibility they need to ensure the safety of the people in Chicago.
The Justice Department also said in a press release on Friday that Jeff Sessions is deploying additional prosecutors to Chicago.
"Sessions is sending five additional violent crime prosecutors to Chicago," the release said on Friday. "With these additional resources, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois John Lausch is creating a Gun Crimes Prosecution Team that will focus on investigating and prosecuting gun cases from the most violent neighborhoods in Chicago."
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The murder surge in Chicago is a direct result of the unjustified restrictions on proper policing and disrespect for US police offers, Sessions said in the release.
The release noted that in 2016 Chicago saw its biggest single-year increase in the murder rate in the last 60 years. The murder rate jumped 68.5 percent above the previous 10-year average, according to the release.
In 2017, the release said, Sessions created the Chicago Crime Gun Strike Force by providing a permanent team of 21 additional permanent special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, six intelligence research specialists, 12 task force officers from the Chicago Police Department, two task force officers from the Illinois State Police, and four ballistics specialists who are focused on the most violent offenders in the most violent areas.