Operation Ceasefire, established in 1996, reduces illegal gun possession and gun violence in our community. The program combines aggressive law enforcement and prosecution efforts to recover illegal handguns, prosecute dangerous felons, increase public awareness, and promote public safety and anti-violence campaigns. Operation Ceasefire implements a comprehensive strategy to target, apprehend, and prosecute offenders who carry firearms, to put others on notice that offenders face certain and serious punishment for carrying illegal firearms, and to prevent our youth from following the same criminal path.
According to the National Report on Juvenile Offenders and Victims (US Department of Justice, 1999), 17% of students in DC reported that they had carried a weapon onto school property and 13% reported that they were threatened or injured with a weapon while on school property. According to that same report, homicides of juveniles ages 15 to 17 (nationwide) were more likely to involve a firearm than were homicides of adults. Also, between 1980 and 1997, three out of four murdered juveniles age 12 or older were killed with a firearm in the United States. (The most recent year for which data is available is 1997.)
As of December 6, 1999, the District recorded a total of 894 firearm assaults in which 46 juveniles had been shot. These numbers were down from 1998, but are still far too high for a community of this size. Out of the 219 homicides committed in the District up to December 6, 1999, almost 81% were committed with a firearm.
For more information on Operation Ceasefire, contact:
| Office |
|
Phone |
| Metropolitan Police Department |
|
(202) 727-2662 |
| US Attorney’s Office |
|
(202) 514-6930 |
| ATF Washington Field Division |
|
(202) 927-8810 |
The MPDC provides additional information on gun safety.
Related Links
