Crime surge in Kansas City prompts White House to send federal agents

A continued increase in crime and overall violence has gained national attention as the White House announced Wednesday plans to send federal agents into Kansas City. The intervention is an attempt to address growing levels of violence in the city, reports KCTV 5 News.

Called “Operation: Legend” after the death of 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro, the focus of the Department of Justice and others in the new initiative is to increase the federal law enforcement present in the city.

Taliferro died after being shot while in bed asleep on the morning of Monday, June 29 in Kansas City, Mo., one death in the latest string of violence in the metro.

Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the new plan was inspired by Mayor Quinton Lucas’ letter to Missouri Governor Mike Parson where Lucas wrote that Kansas City was “at a crisis point,” reports KCTV 5.

The letter, originally sent July 3, was looking for Parson to convene a special session of the Missouri legislature focused on growing crime in Missouri cities, the report continued.

McEnany cited the latest crime statistics from Kansas City, noting that the 100 homicides so far in 2020 is a 40 percent increase from this point in 2019.

“We at the federal government want to make sure that that never happens,” McEnany said, “and use our resources to the fullest extent of the law to ensure that individuals and young children like LeGend and able to live their lives, and live so peacefully.”

The program is being described as “a sustained, systematic and coordinated law enforcement initiative across all federal law enforcement agencies working in conjunction with state and local law enforcement officials to fight the sudden surge of violent crime,” according to a Wednesday evening news release from the Justice Department.