U.S. Department of Justice 

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 

By: 

David H. Chipman 

Special Agent 

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives 

Chief, Firearms Programs Division 

Cynthia E. Pappas 

Senior Social Science Analyst 

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 

Violent Crime Impact Teams 

(VCIT) Initiative: 

Focus on Partnerships 

www.cops.usdoj.gov 

§ Prepared remarks 

of Attorney General 

Alberto Gonzales, 

Hoover Institution 

Board of Overseers 

Conference, February 

28, 2005, www-hoover. 

stanford.edu/research/ 

conferences/02282005. 

html. 

Violent Crime Impact 

Teams (VCIT) Initiative: 

Focus on Partnerships 

“For the past 4 years, the President has challenged the 

Department of Justice to work with our federal, state, 

and local law enforcement partners to drive down the 

rate of violent crime, crimes committed with guns, and 

trafficking in illegal drugs. We have met the challenge. 

Today crime is at a 30-year low....The VCIT initiative 

has shown how we can fight crime better, expand 

freedom, and open new opportunities in communities 

that had lost all hope. To date, our ATF-led Violent 

Crime Impact Teams have moved into 15 cities in 

need of anticrime reinforcements.... The progress thus 

far in our 15 cities in just the first 9 months has been 

outstanding.”§ Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez 
COPS Innovation 

Acknowledgments 

The COPS Innovations series is very much a 

collaborative effort. While each document has a 

primary author(s), other project team members, 

COPS staff, editors, and peer reviewers contribute 

by proposing text, recommending research, and 

offering suggestions on matter of format and style. 

The principal project members comprised David H. 

Chipman, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, 

and Explosives and Cynthia E. Pappas, Office of 

Community Oriented Policing Services. 

Interviews were conducted with VCIT supervisors 

and staff, and we thank each for their time and 

effort: Gena B. Alvarez, John F. Bradley, Sigberto 

F. Celaya, Jeffrey L. Cochran, Wayne L. Dixie, Jr., 

Raymond E. Fragoso, George T. Gillett, Jr., Joseph 

R. Kennedy, Thomas E. Murray, Mark W. Potter, 

Armando Salas, Brian R. Swann, and Louis J. 

Weiers. 

ii 
Table of Contents 

Table of Contents 

Section Page 

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ii 

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 

Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 

Problem–Solving Partnerships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 

Sample Success Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 

Albuquerque, New Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 

Camden, New Jersey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 

Columbus, Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 

Fresno, California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 

Houston, Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 

Los Angeles, California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 

Las Vegas, Nevada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 

Miami, Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 

Tucson, Arizona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 

Tulsa, Oklahoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 

iii 

Violent Crime Impact Teams (VCIT) Initiative: 

Focus on Partnerships 

“Justice Department 

Announces New Violent 

Crime Reduction 

Initiative.” U.S. 

Department of Justice, 

United States Attorney, 

District of Nevada. www. 

usdoj.gov/usao/nv/home/ 

pressrelease/june2004/ 

vcit062404.htm. 

Introduction 

“The violent-crime rate has plunged to the lowest 

level in 30 years, but we view these impressive results 

as just the beginning. We are determined to drive 

down violent crime everywhere — especially in those 

places where habitual offenders are concentrated and 

communities live in fear of the violent and predatory. 

Our goal is to make an immediate impact in these 

communities by targeting repeat offenders with tough 

prosecutions and tough sentences. The Violent Crime 

Impact Teams will shift the balance of power in crimeplagued neighborhoods away from habitual offenders 

toward the law-abiding citizens who live and work 

there.” Former Attorney General John Ashcroft 

In June 2004, then-Attorney General John Ashcroft, 

then-Deputy Attorney General James Comey, and Carl 

J. Truscott, director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, 

Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), announced a federal 

initiative aimed at reducing crime in 15 communites 

in the United States through the development of 

Violent Crime Impact Teams (VCIT). VCIT is an 

ATF-led initiative where local, state, and federal law 

enforcement and prosecutors collaborate to remove 

the most violent criminals from the community. It 

was designed to identify, target, disrupt, arrest, and 

prosecute the worst-of-the-worst criminals responsible 

for violent crime in targeted hot-spots through the use 

of innovative technologies, analytical investigative 

resources, and an integrated federal, state, and local law 

enforcement strategy. 

VCITs were launched in 13 cities in June 2004 and two 

more cities were added in July 2004: 

1. Albuquerque, New Mexico 

2. Baltimore, Maryland 

3. Chattanooga, Tennessee 

4. Columbus, Ohio 

5. Greensboro, North Carolina 

6. Las Vegas, Nevada 

7. Los Angeles, California 

8. Miami, Florida 

1 
COPS Innovation 

9. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 

10. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 

11. Richmond, Virginia 

12. Tampa, Florida 

13. Tucson, Arizona 

14. Tulsa, Oklahoma 

15. Washington, D.C. 

In March 2005, Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez 

announced the selection of five additional cities to 

participate in the VCIT program: 

16. Hartford, Connecticut 

17. Houston, Texas 

18. Fresno, California 

19. Camden, New Jersey 

20. New Orleans, Louisiana 

These 20 cities were chosen because of their high rates 

of violent crime and the opportunity for law enforcement 

to make a significant difference in the communities they 

serve. The goals of the initiative are to decrease the 

number of homicides, the number of violent crimes, and 

the number of violent firearms crimes in a six-month 

time frame by removing violent criminals from the 

communities and restoring those communities into safe 

and desirable places to live and work. 

2 
Violent Crime Impact Teams (VCIT) Initiative: 

Focus on Partnerships 

VCIT Initiative Six-Point Approach to Reducing Crime 

1. Use technology and human intelligence to identify 

geographic areas experiencing violent crime. 

2. Identify and target the worst violent offenders, 

the criminal organizations that support them, and 

determine how many are armed career criminals. 

3. Use criminal investigations as well as investigative 

tools and resources to disrupt and dismantle 

criminal activity being perpetuated by the targeted 

individuals and organizations. 

4. Arrest and prosecute the targeted individuals and 

their associates in the federal or state jurisdiction 

that lends itself to the most appropriate penalty. 

5. Work with community leaders to cultivate solid and 

sustained commitment between the community’s 

residents and law enforcement. 

6. Evaluate results monthly to assess VCIT progress 

toward achieving the initiative’s goals. 

The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community 

Oriented Policing Services (the COPS Office) is 

interested in the partnerships that were formed through 

the VCIT program and the lessons developed by these 

collaborative efforts to reduce crime and to create a 

safer nation. This document offers basic background 

information on the program and, through informal 

interviews, what was learned by those who are most 

involved in the program. It should provide guidance 

to those hoping to replicate these efforts in their 

own jurisdictions. Since not all site supervisors were 

available to provide comments, not all VCIT cities are 

not included in this report. 

3 

Violent Crime Impact Teams (VCIT) Initiative: 

Focus on Partnerships 

§ “Justice Department 

Announces New 

Violent Crime 

Reduction Initiative, 15 

Communities to Receive 

Violent Crime Impact 

Teams,” June 24, 2004. 

http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/ 

pr/2004/June/04_ag_438. 

htm. 

Background 

The VCIT initiative builds on the success of Project Safe 

Neighborhoods (PSN), a comprehensive nationwide 

strategy geared toward combating gun crime in 

communities across the country by bringing together 

federal, state, and local agencies. Through PSN, VCIT 

builds on partnerships with the federal, state, and 

local agencies to improve prevention efforts through 

targeted outreach efforts within at-risk communities. 

Since its inception in 2001, more than $1 billion has 

been devoted to the implementation of PSN to hire 

additional prosecutors, provide training, hire research 

and community support staff, as well as to develop and 

promote effective deterrence efforts.§ VCIT emphasizes 

proactive and aggressive use of state-of-the-art 

technology in identifying the worst offenders and the 

areas in which they operate. 

The VCIT strategy applies technologies to identify hot 

spots and to target and arrest criminals. ATF’s National 

Tracing Center, Crime Gun Analysis Branch, Regional 

Crime Gun Center, and other technologies such as the 

National Integrated Ballistics Information Network and 

Geographic Information Systems, are used to pinpoint 

problem areas. This program, based on the careful 

analysis of gun seizures and their sales, develops leads 

that will point to the current owners of weapons. 

The partnerships are an essential component of the 

success of this initiative. According to many VCIT 

supervisors, existing relationships with other agencies 

and the communities they serve were strengthened and 

new, solid relationships were formed. Federal agencies 

5 
COPS Innovation 

§ “Gang Deterrence” 

Federal Document 

Clearing House 

Congressional Testimony. 

Statement of Patrick J. 

Fitzgerald, United States 

Attorney’s Office for 

the Northern District 

of Illinois. Committee 

on House Judiciary 

Subcommittee on Crime, 

Terrorism, and Homeland 

Security. April 5, 2005. 

http://judiciary.house. 

gov/HearingTestimony. 

aspx?ID=261. 

and local law enforcement are actively working 

together in patrol and in conducting proactive 

investigations. The positive relationships are 

proving to be very beneficial. 

During the 6-month pilot period of operation, VCITs 

have recovered more than 3,000 firearms and arrested more than 500 of the 900 identified serious 

offenders. In addition, more than $2 million has 

been seized, 2,500 other offenders arrested, and 

nearly 400 felony fugitives apprehended.§

“The way VCIT is currently configured it is not a 

short-term fix but will be successful in the long term 

in reducing violent crime in the targeted areas.” Brian 

R. Swann, Resident Agent in Charge, ATF, Richmond 

III Field Office 

6 
Violent Crime Impact Teams (VCIT) Initiative: 

Focus on Partnerships 

§ Boba, Rachel, Ph.D., 

(2002) Problem Analysis 

in Policing. Police 

Foundation, Washington, 

D.C. 

Problem-Solving Partnerships 

“The greatest success of our VCIT initiative has 

been the cooperation vested and partnerships 

formed in making VCIT a success.” Sigberto F. 

Celaya, Resident Agent in Charge, ATF, Tucson 

Field Office 

Law enforcement agencies traditionally have been 

responsible for crime control and prevention strategies. 

“As crime problems have gotten more complex and 

expectations of the police have increased, traditional 

responses are becoming less adequate. The need to 

examine the characteristics and causes of crime and 

disorder problems prior to developing responses to them 

has been recognized by academics and practitioners 

alike.”§ 

Each city involved in this initiative is dealing with its 

own unique crime issues. The VCIT program is rooted 

in the problem-solving process, whereby the team 

must routinely and systematically analyze problems 

before developing solutions. The key to realizing future 

goals hinges on the ability of each city to analyze its 

distinctive problems and develop solutions capitalizing 

on the unique expertise of every partner. This initiative 

brings together the most unique assets, capabilities, and 

cutting-edge technologies of each participating agency. 

According to the supervisors who participated in 

the interviews, teamwork and an integration of local 

intelligence, knowledge, skills, and investigative 

resources of the VCIT partners are essential. The most 

successful VCIT task forces include and use the valuable 

resources within communities, including Neighborhood 

Watch programs, community meetings, and social events 

to identify problems and to aid in the development 

of solutions. City agencies may include the board of 

education, the sanitation and graffiti removal 

7 
COPS Innovation 

§ “Marketing 

Community Policing 

in the News: A Missed 

Opportunity?” July 

2003. U.S. Department 

of Justice, Office Justice 

Programs, National 

Institute of Justice. 

departments, and local housing authorities. Partnerships 

often are developed with community leaders, social 

service agencies, nonprofit community assistance 

agencies, faith-based groups, schools, and private 

businesses to promote comprehensive and coordinated 

community action plans. 

“On a daily basis we in law enforcement are faced 

with the challenge of making our communities a safer 

place to live and work. Alone, this can be extremely 

challenging; however, when we combine our efforts 

and enthusiasm as a team and focus on a specific 

mission, positive results can be accomplished.” Mark 

W. Potter, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Philadelphia 

Field Division 

In community policing, it is essential to gain citizen support and involvement.§ The news media can play a key 

role in this effort through their wide dissemination of 

information. The ATF makes an effort to broadcast VCIT 

success stories to the community through local media. 

An effective media campaign broadcasting the arrest 

and severe penalties of individuals who commit violent 

acts within a community is viewed by the members of 

the VCIT team as a strong and convincing deterrent for 

those contemplating crimes of violence. 

8 
Violent Crime Impact Teams (VCIT) Initiative: 

Focus on Partnerships 

§ Asher, Ed. “Feds to 

help cut city’s violent 

crime.” Albuquerque 

Tribune Online. Web. 

abqtrib.com/archives/ 

news04/062404_news_ 

impact.shtml. 

§§ “Gang Deterrence,” 

Federal Document 

Clearing House, 

Congressional Testimony. 

Statement of Patrick J. 

Fitzgerald, United States 

Attorney’s Office for 

the Northern District 

of Illinois. Committee 

on House Judiciary 

Subcommittee on Crime, 

Terrorism, and Homeland 

Security. April 5, 2005. 

http://judiciary.house. 

gov/HearingTestimony. 

aspx?ID=261. 

Sample Success Stories 

Albuquerque, New Mexico 

“There is good news for Albuquerque in that crime is 

going down. But there is also bad news. There is a 

cancer in Albuquerque, and that cancer is homicide. 

The treatment for this cancer is the Violent Crime 

Impact Team.” U.S. Attorney David Iglesias§ 

The Albuquerque VCIT team’s mission is to lower 

homicides and firearms-related violent crimes. To 

measure performance, the team leaders measured overall 

homicides and violent crime as well as homicides and 

violent crimes committed with a firearm. These measures 

of crime were compared with past years during the same 

months of the VCIT pilot project to account for seasonal 

variations. As a result, they have witnessed a 72 percent 

reduction in homicides and in just two months, 60 arrests 

were made and 24 firearms seized, offenses ranging from 

firearms possession to narcotics to shootings.§§ 

When Albuquerque was selected as one of the 15 

original sites for the VCIT initiative, data were collected 

on violent crime, violent crime with firearms, and the 

homicide rate for each area command of the city. The 

information was obtained from the following sources: 

• Uniformed Crime Reports for Albuquerque 

• Albuquerque Police Department’s (APD) Crime 

Statistics Unit 

• Mapping data for the previous two years pertaining 

to possessors of firearms and the number of 

recoveries from ATF’s Crime Gun Analysis Branch 

• Federal firearms licensees in the target area and 

multiple purchases of firearms 

• New Mexico Board of Parole and Probation intense 

supervision list of probationers 

9 
COPS Innovation 

• U.S. Marshals Service information on fugitives in 

the area 

• Drug Enforcement Administration databases on 

target list of midlevel drug dealers 

• Intelligence from the APD Gang Unit and the Repeat 

Offender Unit 

• Weed & Seed neighborhood associations. 

The statistics revealed that the southeast area of the 

city had the majority of violent crime with firearms 

and homicides. Its homicide rate was about twice the 

national average in the two years prior to the beginning 

of this initiative. 

Albuquerque VCIT Partners: 

• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and 

Explosives 

• Albuquerque Police Department 

• U. S. Probation Office, Albuquerque 

• New Mexico Corrections Department, Probation 

& Parole Division 

• Drug Enforcement Administration 

• U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New 

Mexico 

• U.S. Marshals Service for the District of New 

Mexico 

These partners work with community leaders to cultivate 

positive relationships between law enforcement and 

the community and to evaluate results every month. 

Community meetings such as Weed & Seed are held 

regularly, whereby the community members voice their 

concerns and provide valuable information to VCIT 

partners. The ATF Resident Agent in Charge attends the 

meetings to obtain feedback from the members about 

high drug trafficking areas, shots fired, individuals with 

firearms, and individuals selling firearms. In addition, 

through these meetings, members of the community 

10 
Violent Crime Impact Teams (VCIT) Initiative: 

Focus on Partnerships 

provide locations, vehicle descriptions, physical 

descriptions, and other information about individuals 

who threaten or intimidate neighbors and individuals 

who have outstanding arrest warrants. 

“From a supervisory point of view, another 

contributing factor of success is having multiple 

agencies, such as the Albuquerque Police Department, 

United States Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement 

Administration, and New Mexico Probation & 

Parole Division, working toward a common goal of 

reducing violent crime. Although each agency has a 

different mission and method of investigating crimes, 

we are all committed to focusing our best resources 

toward the apprehension and confinement of violent 

criminals.” Wayne L. Dixie, Jr., Resident Agent in 

Charge, ATF, Albuquerque Field Office 

Camden, New Jersey 

The Camden VCIT consists of 15 personnel from seven 

agencies housed in ATF’s Camden Field Office. The 

Camden Field Office, in cooperation with the Camden 

Police Department (CPD), identified the Third Police 

District as the focus of the VCIT initiative. The Third 

District, on the east side of Camden, accounted for 

approximately 35 percent of the city’s population. Crime 

statistics received from CPD indicate that the Third 

District accounted for 30 percent of overall violent 

crime in the city, 34.5 percent of firearms-related violent 

crime, and 38 percent of firearms related to homicides. 

In addition, between January 1, 2004 and May 29, 2005 

there were 79 homicides in the city with 58 by use of 

a firearm. The Third District accounted for 39 percent 

of all homicides, with the Fourth District coming in 

second by accounting for 25 percent. On average, using 

statistics for the last four years, the city recovered 

approximately 234 firearms. Typically, the Third District 

accounted for about 23 percent of all recovered guns. 

11 
COPS Innovation 

With the assistance of an ATF special agent, the city of 

Camden and Camden County currently trace all recovered 

and properly identified crime guns through the ATF 

National Tracing Center. Updated crime mapping of CPD 

firearms recoveries is received from the ATF Crime Gun 

Analysis Branch, which further demonstrates the violence 

prevalent in the VCIT area. The CPD selected this area of 

Camden because they felt that this program would have 

the most impact there and would remove the worst–of– 

the–worst from the community. 

Based on the experiences of the early VCITs, the Camden 

VCIT team determined that an operational strategy 

would need to be developed that was intelligence 

driven, coordinated effectively with the numerous other 

initiatives, and would reduce recidivism by focusing on 

the worst–of–the–worst. 

Camden VCIT Partners: 

• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and 

Explosives 

• Camden Police Department 

• New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice 

• New Jersey State Police 

• Camden County Prosecutor’s Office 

• U.S. Marshals Service 

• Drug Enforcement Administration 

• Camden County Sheriff’s Office 

• New Jersey State Police Forensic Science 

Laboratory Bureau 

• High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force 

• New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission Office 

of Parole and Transitional Services 

• New Jersey State Parole Board 

• U.S. Attorney’s Office 

12 
Violent Crime Impact Teams (VCIT) Initiative: 

Focus on Partnerships 

The VCIT proactively investigates, arrests, and 

prosecutes violent criminals by identifying and targeting 

specific geographic areas in Camden with the goal of 

decreasing the homicide rate and having a measurable 

and sustainable impact on violent firearms-related crime. 

The group supervisor provides monthly statistics on the 

accomplishments of the VCIT in the format prescribed by 

ATF Headquarters. 

To the extent possible, the group supervisor works with 

CPD crime analysis personnel to compare current realtime statistics with past years to gauge the impact of the 

VCIT, and to aid in recognizing the need to reallocate 

personnel or alter the enforcement strategy. These reviews 

focus on violent crimes carried out with firearms in the 

delineated geographic area. The group supervisor also 

works in concert with the United States Attorney’s Office 

in connection with Project Safe Neighborhoods and with 

the CPD’s crime statistics personnel to ensure accurate 

statistical reporting. 

Columbus, Ohio 

The Columbus Division of Police, the Ohio Department 

of Rehabilitation and Correction, and the Office of the 

Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney lead the initiative 

for the local agencies in Columbus, Ohio. Other agencies 

participating include the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, 

the U.S. Marshals Service, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal 

Identification and Investigation, and the Ohio Adult 

Parole Authority. 

“The single most significant accomplishment of 

VCIT in the city of Columbus was the ability of ATF 

to partner with local officers to develop a proactive 

strategy involving the purchase of drugs and weapons 

in specific areas of the city that local officers have 

never been able to penetrate.” Commander Bill 

Mattei, Columbus Division of Police 

13 
COPS Innovation 

§ “70 Indicted on Federal 

Gun, Drug Charges.” 

FindLaw, April 1, 2005 

http://news.findlaw.com. 

As a result of this partnership, 70 individuals were 

named in 23 indictments on drug and gun charges as part 

of the VCIT initiative dubbed “Operation Hardcore.” 

Some of the charges carry potential life terms and all but 

four defendants, if convicted, face mandatory minimum 

sentences of at least 5 years in federal custody.

§ A 

roundup in April 2005 led to the arrest of 70 individuals. 

The last defendant was taken into custody on June 13, 

2005. A majority of the cases have worked their way 

through prosecution and have resulted in 50 guilty pleas 

and two guilty verdicts by jury. Seven of the defendants 

have been sentenced to jail terms ranging from 50 to 120 

months, with an average sentence of 73 months. 

Fresno, California 

The Fresno VCIT team includes the Fresno Police 

Department, ATF, Fresno County Sheriff’s Department, 

U.S. Marshal’s Service, the High-Intensity Drug 

Trafficking Area task force, and the U.S. Attorney’s 

Office. The Fresno VCIT examined the success of 

the original initiatives and is proactively investigating 

criminals and the organizations with which they 

are associated. Currently, the team is investigating 

individuals who are supplying firearms and narcotics to 

other prohibited individuals. The target area includes the 

14 
Violent Crime Impact Teams (VCIT) Initiative: 

Focus on Partnerships 

entire southern section of the city, which is composed 

of three police districts. Two agents are assigned to each 

police district. 

“The officers love this program because it allows them 

to investigate crimes further as opposed to just taking 

someone down to the booking area for processing. 

The agents love it because they are gaining a lot of 

tactical experience that would take years as an ATF 

agent to acquire. It is truly a win-win.” Raymond E. 

Fragoso, Resident Agent in Charge, ATF, Fresno 

Field Office 

The VCIT supervisor is seeking to conduct community 

outreach in the target area. “People we have come into 

contact with all know about the VCIT. The media did 

a great job covering the start of this program and they 

are monitoring our progress,” said Resident Agent in 

Charge Fragoso. He has assigned each agent in the 

office to a community outreach service project and he 

attends Community Watch meetings to address whatever 

needs the community may have. Some of the suggested 

outreach projects include spending a day playing sports 

with at-risk children, working at a soup line, cleaning 

up a neighborhood, working with the Boys and Girls 

Clubs of America, spending a day at a summer camp, 

or “anything where we can give something back to the 

community.” 

Houston, Texas 

The Houston VCIT team, initiated on June 1, 2005, 

includes the Houston Police Department, Drug 

Enforcement Administration, U.S. Attorney’s Office, 

U.S. Marshals Service, Texas Department of Public 

Safety, Harris County District Attorney’s Office, U.S. 

Probation Office, and the Texas Department of Criminal 

Justice. ATF has been involved with the intervention 

team of the Mayor’s Anti-Gang Task Force and is 

15 
COPS Innovation 

§ “L.A. Is Among 15 

Cities Selected to Deploy 

Violent Crime Impact 

Teams” http://www.usdoj. 

gov/usao/cac/pr2004/092. 

html. 

planning to use the Gang Resistance Education and 

Training (G.R.E.A.T.) program and work with the Boys 

and Girls Clubs of America in the Houston area to 

address violence and gangs. 

Team members are collecting data from the following 

resources: 

• Crime mapping from the Houston Police Department 

• Statistics from ATF Crime Gun Analysis Branch 

relating to firearm recoveries 

• Information from the ATF Houston Field Division 

Intelligence Group. 

The Houston Field Division Intelligence Group is 

working with the Houston Police Department Crime 

Analysis personnel to compare real-time crime statistics 

with previous statistics gathered by the department. 

One success has been of a firearm recovered in the VCIT 

area that was linked through fingerprints to a homicide 

in Houston. The Houston Police Department is using the 

information to help solve its homicide case. The police 

also found a direct link between gang members who 

traffic in narcotics and firearms between the Houston 

VCIT and Victoria, Texas. 

Los Angeles, California 

As of April 2005, the Los Angeles VCIT initiated 26 

investigations. Thirty-five suspects were arrested on 

federal or state firearms and/or narcotics violations. 

Authorities seized 32 firearms and approximately 940 

grams of narcotics.§ A comparison of crime statistics 

in Los Angeles during the first 5 months of 2004 (preVCIT) with the first 5 months of 2005 (during VCIT) 

show a decrease in the number of homicides, homicides 

by firearms, and violent crimes. 

16 
Violent Crime Impact Teams (VCIT) Initiative: 

Focus on Partnerships 

“The greatest success of this initiative has been the 

statistical reduction of firearms-related violence 

within the highest crime areas of the city of 

Los Angeles. Secondly is the strengthening of 

working relationships with the Los Angeles Police 

Department.” George T. Gillett, Jr., Resident Agent 

in Charge, ATF, Los Angeles Field Office 

On June 1, 2004, ATF Los Angeles Field Division 

Special Agent in Charge Donald R. Kincaid and 

United States Attorney Debra W. Yang were joined by 

representatives of the Los Angeles Police Department, 

the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Drug 

Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals Service, 

the California Department of Justice, the U.S. Probation 

Office, the Los Angeles County Probation Department, 

the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, 

Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Los Angeles 

Office of the City Attorney in announcing the rollout of 

the VCIT initiative. 

The Los Angeles VCIT focuses on both the city and 

county of Los Angeles, where VCIT members review 

and screen all police reports of firearms-related violence. 

Team members work in tandem with the gang, robbery, 

and narcotics units to ensure that firearms evidence is 

traced and, when possible, imaged through the National 

Integrated Ballistics Information Network. These 

enforcement efforts focus on the LAPD Division areas 

having the highest rates of crime, namely the Southeast, 

77th, and Rampart Divisions. The community is 

involved on a fundamental level in its daily interactions 

with the LAPD. Communication and information is 

routed through the community to the LAPD and when 

applicable and as problems are identified, information is 

coordinated with the VCIT team. 

17 
COPS Innovation 

§ “Authorities tout 

success of anti-crime 

initiative.” March 3, 

2005. Las Vegas ReviewJournal. 

Las Vegas, Nevada 

ATF Director Carl Truscott reported that 154 guns and 

58 of the worst-of-the-worst criminals were arrested as a 

result of the VCIT initiative.§ An example is the arrest of 

a man whom federal authorities had been investigating 

since 1996. The investigation led to the discovery of 

15 homemade machine guns following the controlled 

purchase of four from the suspect. At the time of this 

writing, this case is pending trial in U.S. District Court. 

An interstate murder-for-hire plot was also uncovered by 

the VCIT initiative and led to federal charges against a 

man who had several pipe bombs in his house. According 

to Daniel Bogden, U.S. Attorney for Nevada, VCIT 

and Project Safe Neighborhoods are the reason that the 

homicide rate has decreased in Nevada by nearly 10 

percent between 2003 and 2004. 

Las Vegas VCIT Partners: 

• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and

 Explosives 

• Drug Enforcement Administration 

• U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 

• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban 

 Development 

• U.S. Marshals Service 

• U.S. Probation Office 

• Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department 

• North Las Vegas Police Department 

• Henderson Police Department 

• Nevada Department of Public Safety, Division 

of Parole and Probation 

• Nevada Air National Guard 

• Housing Authority of the City of Las Vegas 

18 
Violent Crime Impact Teams (VCIT) Initiative: 

Focus on Partnerships 

Before the VCIT was initiated in Las Vegas, the ATF’s 

National Tracing Center assessed firearm recoveries 

for the entire city and forwarded the statistics to its 

Crime Gun Analysis Branch for gun-mapping. ATF’s 

regional Industry Operations field office identified 

three high-volume, licensed firearms dealers and 

compared their records with tracing information 

from the firearms recovered in Las Vegas. Each local 

police department provided its violent-crime statistics, 

specifically the location of homicides, robberies, and 

related violent gang activity. These assessments were 

used to identify high-crime areas, including areas 

infested with gang and narcotic activity. The VCIT team 

targeted those areas using a number of investigative 

methods including purchases of narcotics and firearms. 

They also embeded confidential informants, housing 

them in facilities provided by the Las Vegas Housing 

Authority. Participants included the Drug Enforcement 

Administration, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, the Las 

Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Gang Unit, U.S. 

Probation Office, Nevada Air National Guard, and the Las 

Vegas Housing Authority. Manpower shortages limited 

several agencies’ participation to a case-by-case basis. 

“I regard ATF’s relationship with local law 

enforcement as critical to any success.” 

Armando Salas, Resident Agent in Charge, ATF, 

Las Vegas Field Office 

Miami, Florida 

The Miami VCIT program focused efforts on MiamiDade County as a whole. Despite a 51.4 percent reduction 

in firearm-involved violent crime between 1996 and 

2003, firearm violence at the county level remains 

approximately double the national per capita average. The 

VCIT program identified and targeted specific hot spots 

using a year of geocoded, firearm-involved arrest data 

19 
COPS Innovation 

from the Miami-Dade County State’s Attorney’s Office. 

Overall execution of the Miami VCIT initiative was 

coordinated through biweekly meetings of the partner 

agencies. Command-level participants set overall goals 

and strategies while line personnel collaborated on active 

firearms violators and case-related details. 

In Miami, the greatest impact of the VCIT initiative 

related directly to continuing and expanding three main 

areas of enforcement: 

• Undercover investigations: Continued efforts 

to identify and interdict groups of individuals 

engaged in armed robberies of narcotics operations 

through proactive undercover investigation yielded 

significant numbers of cases and defendants 

for federal prosecution. Proactive undercover 

investigations into four violent narcotics-trafficking 

gangs operating in the targeted areas developed 

into a significant ATF-led Organized Crime Drug 

Enforcement Task Force case that culminated in 

November 2005. Complementing these efforts 

were reactive undercover investigations into both 

domestic and international firearms traffickers and 

federal firearms licensees who were involved in 

firearms trafficking. 

• Use of confidential informants: In all undercover 

investigations, confidential informants provided 

key information and access to the targeted criminal 

organizations. 

• Focused prosecution of referrals: The existing 

collaborative partnerships established under Project 

Safe Neighborhoods were continued. The MiamiDade County State’s Attorney’s Office and the U.S. 

Attorney’s Office continued to actively support 

both the VCIT and Project Safe Neighborhoods 

initiatives in the review of firearm-related arrest 

20 
Violent Crime Impact Teams (VCIT) Initiative: 

Focus on Partnerships 

cases throughout the county. This screening process 

was enhanced by the direct referral of cases from 

local agencies when suspects were arrested. VCIT 

task force members responded to the scene of firearmrelated arrests made by partner law enforcement 

agencies. These timely referrals were facilitated 

by assigned full-time task force officers and often 

resulted in federal probable-cause arrests. 

The Miami VCIT Partners: 

• U.S. Attorney’s Office 

• Miami-Dade County State’s Attorney’s Office 

• ATF Miami Group II – Street Gangs 

• ATF Miami Group IV – Firearms Trafficking/ 

Project Safe Neighborhoods 

• ATF Miami Group V – High-Intensity Drug 

Trafficking Area/Street Terror Offender 

Program 

• The City of Miami Police Department 

• North, Central, and South Patrol District 

Commanders 

• Organized Crime/Narcotics Unit Commander 

• Crime Suppression Teams Lieutenant 

• Tactical Narcotics Team Lieutenant 

• Gang Unit Lieutenant 

• Homicide Bureau Lieutenant 

• Miami-Dade County Police Department, 

Robbery Intervention Detail Commander 

• Florida Department of Corrections Parole and 

Probation Field Services 

• North Miami Police Department 

• Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement 

(U.S. Department of Homeland Security) 

• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban 

Development Office of the Inspector General 

• U.S. Marshals Service 

21 
COPS Innovation 

§ “Specter announces 

more manpower and 

funds to fight violent 

crime in Philadelphia”, 

September 10, 2004. 

http://specter.senate.gov/. 

A measured, balanced strategy, including a 

corresponding prosecutorial commitment to complement 

the law enforcement activity, was a cornerstone to the 

success seen in the program. Many of the VCITs built 

on existing collaborative partnerships established under 

Project Safe Neighborhoods. For example, the MiamiDade County State’s Attorney’s Office and the U.S. 

Attorney’s Office continued to actively support both the 

VCIT and Project Safe Neighborhoods initiatives in the 

review of firearm-related arrest cases. The inclusion of 

the prosecutorial resources throughout the process was 

important to the success in Miami. 

The Miami-Dade County State’s Attorney’s Office 

collected the required data needed for geographic 

targeting for the VCIT initiative, playing an integral role 

from the project inception. The office had taken a lead 

role in screening state firearms arrests by assisting the 

U.S. Attorney’s Office and ATF in coordinating federal, 

state, and local agencies in a unified offensive to combat 

gun violence. Through the collaborative efforts of ATF, 

the Miami-Dade County State’s Attorney’s Office, and 

the U.S. Attorney’s Office, a decision was made about 

the most appropriate venue for prosecution for each 

firearm-involved violent crime. This relationship was 

instrumental in having an impact on reducing firearmrelated homicides in Miami. 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 

On September 10, 2004, Senator Arlen Specter 

announced that the U.S. Department of Justice would 

provide six additional federal agents and prosecutors and 

$1 million in increased funding to boost communitybased crime-prevention efforts in Philadelphia.§ The 

funding was dedicated to addressing juvenile crime and 

to making available additional training and technical 

assistance to the communities and law enforcement 

agencies in those agencies that received the funding. 

22 
Violent Crime Impact Teams (VCIT) Initiative: 

Focus on Partnerships 

The Philadelphia VCIT team studied the violent crime 

and firearms statistics for each police division in the city 

and each district within the divisions. Statistics showed 

that the Police Department’s Southwest Division had the 

highest overall numbers of violent crime as well as the 

highest number of firearm recoveries, and that the 16th 

Police District had the highest per capita rate of violent 

crime. 

According to Deputy Police Commissioner Patricia 

Giorgia Fox, between July 1, 2004 and March 31, 

2005, there were nine homicides, including six by 

firearm, in the 16th District. This was down from 17 

in the same period the year before, representing a 47 

percent decrease in homicides overall and a 65 percent 

decrease in homicides by firearm. The VCIT team 

recently shifted its area of operation to the 12th Police 

District to replicate the success of the 16th District. 

Philadelphia VCIT Partners: 

• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and 

Explosives 

• U.S. Marshals Service 

• Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, 

Bureau of Narcotics Investigation and Drug 

Control 

• Philadelphia Police Department 

• First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, Bench 

Warrant Unit 

• U.S. Attorneys Office 

• City of Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office 

Some of the relationships were entirely new, while 

certain existing relationships were increased to full-time 

commitments and others acquired a designated liaison. 

The ATF, for example, had an existing relationship with 

the Philadelphia Police Department. New relationships 

23 
COPS Innovation 

§ www.usdoj.gov/usao/ 

paw/task_forces.html. 

were developed with the U.S. Marshals Service, 

Pennsylvania’s Bureau of Narcotics Investigation and 

Drug Control, the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania 

Bench Warrant Unit, and the Philadelphia Probation and 

Parole Department of the Court of Common Pleas of 

Philadelphia County. 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 

On June 9, 2004, the Pittsburgh interagency effort 

led by the ATF targeted enforcement efforts on the 

worst–of–the–worst. Participating were the Federal 

Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection 

Service, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal 

Investigation Division, the U.S. Marshals Service, the 

Pennsylvania State Police, the Pittsburgh Bureau of 

Police, and the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office. 

The Pittsburgh VCIT initiative began with the 

identification of the most violent offenders and 

targeted geographic areas. The analysis required close 

coordination with homicide detectives, violent crime 

units, firearms tracking units, the Allegheny County 

Injury Surveillance System, National Integrated Ballistics 

Information Network, and the ATF Crime Gun Analysis 

Branch. Both the ATF National Laboratory Center and 

the Allegheny County Coroner’s Office Division of 

Forensic Laboratories are integral partners in the success 

of VCIT in Pittsburgh.§ According to Resident Agent in 

Charge Louis J. Weiers, “we are encouraging community 

involvement through tips and daily contact with the 

residents of the areas we are targeting.” 

“The VCIT strategy was unique. ATF agents paired 

with local officers in their patrol cars, working 

side–by–side, conducting street-level enforcement. 

Other federal task forces had traditionally focused 

on investigating historical cases.” Chief Robert W. 

McNeilly Jr., Pittsburgh Bureau of Police 

24 
Violent Crime Impact Teams (VCIT) Initiative: 

Focus on Partnerships 

§ “Gang Deterrence” 

Federal Document 

Clearing House 

Congressional Testimony. 

Statement of Patrick J. 

Fitzgerald, United States 

Attorney’s Office for 

the Northern District 

of Illinois. Committee 

on House Judiciary 

Subcommittee on crime, 

Terrorism, and Homeland 

Security. April 5, 2005. 

http://judiciary.house. 

gov/HearingTestimony. 

aspx?ID=261. 

§§ “U.S. Department 

of Justice Commends 

Sheriff’s Office 

for Involvement 

with Violent Crime 

Impact Team” www. 

sheriffalleghenycounty. 

com/dea_tyltr.html. 

§§§ “Justice Department 

Announces New Violent 

Crime Reduction 

Initiative” www.usdoj.gov 

June 24, 2004. 

In its first 4 months of operation, the Pittsburgh 

VCIT made 105 arrests, primarily for illegal firearms 

possession, state violations of the Uniform Firearms Act, 

and illegal possession of heroin, crack, and marijuana, 

and recovered 34 out of 45 reportedly stolen firearms. 

There was a 61 percent drop in overall homicides with 

firearms when compared with the same 6-month period 

the prior year.

§ In a letter, Special Agent in Charge Mark 

W. Potter, ATF, Philadelphia Field Division thanked 

Sheriff Peter R. Defazio for his “undaunted support 

and commitment to VCIT,” and to commend detectives 

from the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office for their 

“invaluable contributions to the ATF’s mission to reduce 

violent crime through the deployment of the VCIT 

project in Pittsburgh.”§§ 

Tucson, Arizona 

“Tucson, Arizona, is fortunate to be one of the cities 

selected to participate in this program...the goal of 

this effort is to make a difference in the lives of the 

this community and to send a clear message to violent 

offenders in Tucson. We don’t want you here.”§§§ 

Paul Charlton, U.S. Attorney for the District of 

Arizona 

The Tucson VCIT implemented a three-prong 

enforcement strategy that includes the following: 

• Firearms Trafficking Initiative 

• Proactive Street Enforcement Initiative 

• Targeted Repeat-Offender Initiative. 

The Repeat Offender Initiative identified the top 52 

repeat offenders who returned to the Tucson area. ATF, 

the Tucson Police Department, the U.S. Probation 

Office, and the Arizona Parole Board worked together 

both proactively and reactively to arrest these offenders 

25 
COPS Innovation 

when they were caught in possession of firearms or 

ammunition. Alerts have been placed in the Tucson 

Police Department computer system, identifying 

individuals and providing orders to contact ATF or the 

Tucson Police Department VCIT detectives if these 

individuals are found in possession of firearms. Thus 

far, 14 defendants have been arrested on federal or state 

charges. During the VCIT pilot period, Tucson VCIT 

made 159 arrests and seized 578 firearms. Through 

constant evaluation and communication, the Tucson 

VCIT will continue to focus its efforts on areas having 

the highest rates of firearm-related violent crime within 

Tucson city limits. 

Participants in the Tucson VCIT include seven state, 

local, and federal agencies. The most significant 

commitment came from the Tucson Police Department, 

which co-located three detectives and a sergeant into 

ATF office space. Additionally, the Drug Enforcement 

Administration assigned one special agent full time to 

the VCIT and support is received as needed from U.S. 

Attorney’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service, Pima County 

Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Probation Office, and the 

26 
Violent Crime Impact Teams (VCIT) Initiative: 

Focus on Partnerships 

§ Briefing Pamphlet, 

May 2004-March 2005, 

Bureau of Alcohol, 

Tobacco, Firearms and 

Explosives, Phoenix Filed 

Division, Tucson Field 

Office, Violent Crime 

Impact Team. 

Arizona Parole Board. Four Tucson Police Department 

detectives serve as a clearinghouse for screening the 

department’s firearms cases in the three target areas. 

They often respond to crime scenes involving the use of 

firearms, are accompanied by ATF agents, and make on 

site arrests for firearms violations. 

The Tucson VCIT team combined data from gun traces 

and violent crimes to identify the geographic area or 

areas that would yield the most benefit. The areas 

identified within the city were the North Oracle Corridor, 

the South Sixth and South 12th Street Corridor, and 

the East 29th Street Corridor.

§ Tucson VCIT responds 

to all firearm- and explosives-related violent crime 24 

hours a day, 7 days a week to provide rapid response to 

firearms recoveries, prohibited persons in possession, 

shooting incidents, felony assaults with firearms, 

homicides, and other violent crime. Every effort has 

been made to identify, establish, and sustain open lines 

of communication with community leaders, seeking 

their assistance in obtaining community support in the 

investigation of firearm-related violent crime in their 

neighborhoods. 

27 
COPS Innovation 

§ “Gang Deterrence,” 

Federal Document 

Clearing House 

Congressional Testimony. 

Statement of Patrick J. 

Fitzgerald, United States 

Attorney’s Office for 

the Northern District 

of Illinois. Committee 

on House Judiciary 

Subcommittee on Crime, 

Terrorism, and Homeland 

Security. April 5, 2005. 

http://judiciary.house. 

gov/HearingTestimony. 

aspx?ID=261. 

Tulsa, Oklahoma 

“During the last half of 2002 and the first half of 2003, 

Tulsa was experiencing a gang war of unparalleled 

proportion... ATF developed a multi-pronged strategy 

for disabling the gangs. The plan of short-term 

enforcement while simultaneously conducting a longterm investigation into the gang leadership was the 

blueprint for what became the Violent Crime Impact 

Team. The ATF plan has been a resounding success. 

Homicide and violent crime rates are down significantly. 

Most of the gang leadership is in prison or awaiting trial 

in federal court on racketeering and conspiracy charges. 

The most positive secondary benefit from the ATF 

efforts has been the improved relations between the 

Tulsa Police Department and federal law enforcement. 

The working relationship with the ATF was so positive 

that the Tulsa Police Department is now calling ATF 

for solutions to other crime problems.” Doug Horn, 

Chief of the Criminal Division, United States Attorney’s 

Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma 

As a result of a more than year-long investigation, the 

first Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act 

(RICO) indictment was handed down in the U.S. Courts 

Northern District of Oklahoma. Thirteen defendants and 

147 counts were included in the indictment. Citywide, 

there was a 59 percent drop in homicides committed with 

firearms compared with the same six month period the 

prior year.

§ 

28 
Violent Crime Impact Teams (VCIT) Initiative: 

Focus on Partnerships 

Tulsa VCIT Partners: 

• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and 

Explosives 

• Tulsa Police Department 

• Federal Bureau of Investigation 

• Drug Enforcement Administration 

• Tulsa County Sheriff’s Department 

• Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous 

Drugs 

• Tulsa Fire Department Arson Task Force 

• U.S. Marshals Service 

• U.S. Probation Office 

The team synthesized data from gun traces provided 

by the ATF’s National Tracing Center and local violent 

crime reports to identify geographic hot spots. Targets 

were obtained by identifying the two most violent street 

gangs whose activity had almost doubled the murder rate 

from the previous year. The main source of data collected 

was police reports dating back five years, which helped 

to link gang members who were involved in assaults, 

shootings, and possession of firearms. 

29 

Violent Crime Impact Teams (VCIT) Initiative: 

Focus on Partnerships 

§ “Authorities tout 

success of anti-crime 

initiative.” March 3, 

2005. Las Vegas Review 

- Journal. 

Conclusion 

On November 15, 2004, then Attorney General John 

Ashcroft hailed the VCIT program as a great success 

during a speech to the International Association of 

Chiefs of Police. He stated, “The VCIT Initiative, like 

many of our other cooperative efforts, is making our 

communities safer and expanding the freedom of our 

citizens. Together, we are proving to our citizens that 

they do not have to move in order to live in a safe 

community.” Since the inception of the program, more 

than 3,000 arrests and more than 3,000 guns have been 

seized in cities such as Los Angeles, Tucson, Miami, and 

Baltimore.§ 

According to ATF Director Carl J. Truscott, during 

the six-month pilot project, 13 of the 15 areas where 

the VCIT program was active reported decreases in 

homicides committed with firearms. In total, VCIT areas 

witnessed a 17 percent decline in homicides committed 

with guns, 500 targeted individuals were arrested, 3,000 

firearms were recovered, more than $2 million was 

seized, and 2,500 gang members, drug dealers, felons in 

possession of firearms, and other criminals were arrested. 

Initially, these statistics point to the fact that this 

initiative is an effective tool in reducing violent crime in 

the target areas. True long-term success, however, lies 

in the strength of the partnerships that have formed as a 

result. 

“In the end, the VCIT program is about partnerships 

and the power of sharing a single goal. It is a lesson 

that the solutions to our problems can be found within 

our own organizations if operational employees are 

empowered through clear goal setting to produce 

dramatic results.” Special Agent David H. Chipman, 

Chief of ATF Firearms Programs Division 

31 


www.cops.usdoj.gov 

For More InForMatIon 

U.S. Department of Justice 

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 

1100 Vermont Avenue, N.W. 

Washington D.C. 20530 

To obtain details on COPS programs, call the 

COPS Office Response Center at 800.421.6770 

Visit COPS Online at the address listed below. 

Created February 14, 2006 e02061010