FEDS, KC TAKE AIM AT RISING VIOLENCE

Concerned about an escalation of Kansas City murders and violent crime,
federal authorities unveiled a new partnership Tuesday to help local
law enforcement officers catch criminals.

Called Viper, the new initiative comes as Kansas City murders stand at
36 for the year, seven more than at this time last year and ahead of
any pace since 1999.

Police in Kansas City recently reported a 5 percent increase in
violent crime overall last year, mostly because of an 88 percent jump
in drive-by shootings.

Police Chief Jim Corwin praised the new effort.

"If we don't get in the middle of it (rising violence) quickly," he
said, ". we're going to have trouble down the road."

The partnership involves the U.S. attorney's office, Kansas City
police, Jackson County prosecutors, the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Viper stands for Violent
Incident Proactive Enterprise Response.

The vast majority of all violent crime in Kansas City is drug-related,
Jackson County Prosecutor Mike Sanders said. Police also have blamed
increased gang activity for some recent violence. Kansas City gangs
tend to be people who grew up together and commit crimes together,
they said.

The partners aim to remove up to six drug-dealing organizations a
year, U.S. Attorney Todd Graves said. He did not say how large these
groups might be or how many might exist. "We're talking organizations
- - they can be anything from gangs to a loosely affiliated group of
people," Graves said. "If they're behind bars, they won't be out on
the street looking for revenge or committing more violent crimes."

According to Graves, Viper will work like this:

. His staff and city homicide detectives will meet regularly to
determine what murders are part of a larger and more complex ring of
illegal activity, generally drugs.

. Federal authorities will develop a list of people suspected of
contributing to the murder or being involved in related
lawbreaking.

. Using its federal authority, Graves' staff would follow drug supply
lines out of the area and employ federal conspiracy laws and tougher
drug sentences to imprison dealers.

. State prosecutors still would handle most murder charges, but
Graves' office probably would prosecute a few more cases yearly.

. Federal prosecutors could use federal charges to persuade offenders
to cooperate in state murder investigations.

Kansas City murder investigations, like those in many other cities,
have been hindered because witnesses have refused to talk to police.

Sanders said the program will extend cooperative efforts already under
way, such as Project Ceasefire, a federal effort that puts felons in
prison for illegally possessing guns. As part of the effort, Graves
plans to shift more of his office's resources toward violent crime.

The federal partners can cross state boundaries and use federal
conspiracy laws to apprehend criminals.

"Crime doesn't stop at local, national or international borders,"
Sanders said.

Graves noted that his staff has long worked with Kansas City police
but not in homicide, which is generally a state crime.

"We want to be able to harvest all that information," he said. "Rather
than get the one bad guy, we may bring down the whole
organization."

. Viper stands for Violent Incident Proactive Enterprise
Response.

. The partnership includes four federal agencies, Kansas City police
and the Jackson County prosecutor's office.

. Increased gang and drug activity is blamed for the upsurge in KC
violence.