[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 120 (Wednesday, July 24, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S5347]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 38--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT 
OPERATION LEGEND WAS SUCCESSFUL IN REDUCING AND COMBATING VIOLENT CRIME 
     IN THE LARGEST CITIES OF THE UNITED STATES AND THAT A FUTURE 
PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION COMMITTED TO ENFORCING AND MAINTAINING LAW 
        AND ORDER SHOULD CONSIDER IMPLEMENTING A SIMILAR POLICY

  Mrs. BLACKBURN (for herself, Mr. Braun, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. 
Cramer, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Schmitt, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, and Mr. 
Young) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                            S. Con. Res. 38

       Whereas, in the wake of a surge in violent crime throughout 
     many of the largest cities in the United States, Attorney 
     General William Barr announced the launch of Operation Legend 
     on July 8, 2020;
       Whereas this groundbreaking operation was named in honor of 
     LeGend Taliferro, a 4-year-old boy from Kansas City, 
     Missouri, who was tragically shot and killed while he was 
     sleeping;
       Whereas, throughout the summer of 2020, violent crime--
     including homicides, aggravated assaults, and firearm 
     offenses--rose dramatically in large cities like Chicago, New 
     York City, Kansas City, Philadelphia, and Memphis;
       Whereas the Trump administration took decisive steps to 
     curb the rampant violence occurring in these cities by 
     instituting Operation Legend;
       Whereas Operation Legend was a measured, coordinated, and 
     effective initiative that deployed Federal law enforcement 
     agents to work in conjunction with State and local law 
     enforcement officials to fight violent crime;
       Whereas, over the course of 6 months, Operation Legend 
     provided Federal law enforcement agents to 10 of the largest 
     cities in the United States: Albuquerque, Baltimore, Chicago, 
     Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Memphis, 
     Milwaukee, and St. Louis;
       Whereas Operation Legend was tremendously successful in 
     targeting the surge in violent crime, resulting in over 6,000 
     arrests--including an estimated 467 arrests for homicide--in 
     addition to the seizures of over 2,600 illegal firearms and 
     over 17 kilograms of fentanyl;
       Whereas, 4 years after the launch of Operation Legend, 
     several major cities in the United States continue to 
     struggle with waves of violent crime;
       Whereas Kansas City recorded its deadliest year on record 
     in 2023 with 185 homicides and, between 2022 and 2023, 
     violent crime increased by 11.5 percent in Chicago, the 
     homicide rate in Memphis rose by 50 percent, and Washington, 
     D.C. saw a significant increase in homicides, carjackings, 
     and armed robberies;
       Whereas several of the largest cities in the United States 
     continue to bear the brunt of violent crime surges, with 
     their citizens feeling increasingly unsafe;
       Whereas, according to Attorney General Merrick Garland, 
     ``there is no acceptable level of violent crime. Too many 
     communities are still struggling, too many people are still 
     scared'';
       Whereas, according to a recent Gallup poll, 63 percent of 
     people in the United States, the highest rate in decades, 
     view crime as a serious problem; and
       Whereas, given the continuing scourge of violent crime in 
     several cities in the United States, an initiative similar to 
     Operation Legend is essential to reducing violent crime in 
     those areas: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that a future 
     presidential administration committed to enforcing or 
     maintaining law and order should--
       (1) consider instituting a policy similar to Operation 
     Legend that deploys Federal law enforcement agents to 
     systematically target crime in cities still plagued with 
     rises in homicides and other violent offenses; and
       (2) provide significant grant funding to State and local 
     governments that shall be used to--
       (A) hire and train more law enforcement officers, including 
     by awarding bonuses to law enforcement officers;
       (B) prevent violent crime by prioritizing stringent 
     sentences for repeat offenders; and
       (C) utilize public safety tools such as bail and pretrial 
     detention to prevent dangerous offenders from returning to 
     communities.

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