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AG Sessions announces new crime task force in Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Andrew Murray, former Mecklenburg district attorney, was sworn in Tuesday before the attorneys he will lead and the cops he will work with.

"I couldn't be more honored,” Murray said. “I couldn't be more humbled."

Murray will work for U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions who came to town and brought his brand of tough law and order politics.

"We will not cede a community, a block or a street corner to violent thugs or drug dealers,” Sessions said.

Sessions visited Charlotte Tuesday, announcing a new strategy to cut down on violent crime: the implementation of a new crime task force.

In his speech to local law enforcement, Sessions said that crime is going up nationally and in Charlotte, citing a 30-percent rise in the murder rate and robbery rates.

Sessions’ visit comes amid a spike in the number of homicides that have taken place in the Queen City, as well as a major crackdown on gangs.

"The task force is in development,” Murray said, “I believe the task force will get some additional resources."

Earlier this year, 83 suspected United Blood Nation gang members, linked to crimes including murders and illegal guns and drugs, were rounded up.

Sessions brought a distinct law and order message to town Tuesday. He said that crime is going up and he drew attention to Charlotte's soaring murder rate as an example.

Sessions said those are trends that his office has noticed around the country.

He believes part of the solution is the creation of a Charlotte task force which will be headed by the FBI, and all local police agencies will play a part.

The task force won't focus on gang activity, instead, other crimes like bank robberies, carjackings, kidnappings and extortion will be in its sights.

“We will not cede a community, a block, or a street corner to violent thugs or drug dealers," Sessions said.

Sessions has been touring other cities before his stop in Charlotte.

He was in Toledo, Ohio, and Milwaukee on Monday to announce that he's adding more prosecutors to cities seeing more drugs and violent crime.

Charlotte is grappling with a rising homicide rate this year. So far, there have been 85 murders in 2017, compared with a total of 68 in 2016.

Murray said his office will focus on gangs, white collar crimes, and cybercrimes, and added that he wants to make life miserable for people who prey on children and the elderly.

"We’re gonna make sure we efficiently and effectively use those resources to the best of our ability to make certain that those who prey on the elderly and those who prey on children are not kept on our streets,” Murray said.

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