(Written by David Schiller, Esq, A.U.S.A., Richmond, VA)

     An expedited federal prosecutive effort by the United States Attorney's Office, B.A.T.F., U.S. Marshal, and F.B.I., in coordination with the Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, Richmond Police Department, and the Virginia State Police to remove armed criminals from Richmond streets. The project has expanded into Norfolk\ Newport News, VA, and Rochester, NY.

     For at least ten years, gun violence had plagued Richmond, Virginia, and the violence had grown each year, routinely placing Richmond among the five cities with the worst per capita murder rates. In 1997, 140 people were murdered, 122 of which with firearms. The drug/gun link, a greater willingness of some to carry weapons, and an increasing incidence of domestic violence, primarily caused this murder toll.

     In 1997, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Richmond developed and carried out an aggressive, innovative, and creative approach to this violence called "Project Exile." Taking advantage of stiffer bond rules and sentencing guidelines in federal court, all felons with guns, guns/drug cases, and gun/domestic violence cases in Richmond are federally prosecuted, without regard to numbers or quantities. The project has fully integrated and coordinated local police, state police, federal investigators (BATF/FBI), and local and federal prosecutors, to promptly arrest, incarcerate, detain without bond, prosecute and sentence the armed criminal. An expedited reporting system developed has decreased processing time from previously several months to only several days. In court, bond is routinely and successfully opposed, and they obtain mandatory minimum sentences. The project has quickly, efficiently, and successfully prosecuted a large number of gun crimes, with significant impact on criminal behavior.

     Handling these cases has been a major accomplishment in itself. The cases have required several hundred court appearances involving aggressive litigation of bond, suppression, and sentencing issues, and trials.

     As part of Project Exile, the U.S. Attorney's Office has also carried out a training program for Richmond Police Department officers on federal firearms statutes and search and seizure issues. We have also worked with police management to improve case report forms. Finally, to expedite the handling of Exile cases, the police firearms office has been electronically connected to BATF to arrange immediate tracing of seized forearms.

     Lastly, a major component of the project has been an innovative outreach/education effort through various media to get the message to the criminals about this crackdown, and build a community coalition directed at the problem. A coalition of business, community and church leaders, and organizations such as the Retail Merchant's Association has been assembled to promote the project. With contributions to a support foundation totalling $40,000, and substantial in-kind matching contributions of services and media time, the 1997 media efforts carrying the message "An illegal gun will get you five years in federal prison" and asking citizens to anonymously report guns on the street to the Metro Richmond Crime Stoppers telephone number included 15 billboards, a fully painted city bus, TV commercials, 15,000+ business cards with the message distributed on the street by local police, and print advertising. The outreach program has been hugely successful, increasing citizen reports about guns and energizing the community to support police efforts.

     The outreach effort has continued in 1998. In addition to the methods utilized in 1997, the Foundation also began an innovative radio campaign through sponsorship of area traffic reports. To date, with the assistance of the Greater Richmond Retail Merchant's Association, the City of Richmond, and the Greater Richmond Partnership, approximately $400,000 has been raised or committed to continue and expand this effective outreach program. Area businesses have also made substantial in-kind service donations to assist the program getting out the message. Most recently, the Richmond Chamber of Commerce has committed sufficient funding to fully implement the media plan for the rest of 1998.

     Through these efforts, more than 200 armed criminals have been removed from Richmond's streets, one violent gang responsible for many murders has been destroyed, and the rate of gun carrying by criminals has been cut nearly in half. Officers now report drug dealers throwing down weapons before running instead of risking being caught with the weapons and a large number of homicides have been solved with information obtained from defendants in these cases. Most importantly, these efforts appear to be stemming the tide of violence, with homicides for the period November 1997 through July 1998, running more than 65% below the same period one year ago. As a result, the citizens feel and are safer.

     Because of the demonstrated results in just one year of sustained effort, the U.S. Attorney's Office is committed to continuing Project Exile indefinitely.

     On January 23, 1998, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced the expansion of the project to the Norfolk area. Certain areas in the tidewater area have similar homicide rates and it is expected that significant reductions can be achieved there as well. A large number of indictments have already been brought.

     The program is highly replicable. Frankly, all it takes is the will to implement it. The project requires a relatively minimal amount of prosecutorial and investigative resources.

     Obstacles which may be encountered (which we have overcome) include:

1. Obtaining the commitment of investigative agencies to bring the cases forward;
2. Coordination with local police to insure immediate intake of cases from the street level;
3. Simplifying and streamlining the incident/case reporting system to bring charges quickly;
4. Avoiding "turf consciousness" among the various police and prosecutorial levels;
5. Coordinating with the court, Marshall, and prison personnel to insure smooth operations;
6. Establishing an active citizen organization to give support to the prosecution effort, primarily through creation and support of the media outreach effort; and,
7. Establishing a cooperative working relationship with the news media to insure that the cases are covered and word is further passed that the prosecution program is in effect.

     Other jurisdictions are considering adopting the same approach. The U.S. Attorney for the Western District is considering implementing the project in Roanoke. We have also discussed the project with other U.S. Attorney's Offices and/or local law enforcement officials in:

Miami, Florida,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
Rochester, New York,
Oakland, California,
San Juan, Puerto Rico,
Baltimore, Maryland,
Indianapolis, Indiana, and
Chicago, Illinois

who may begin similar projects.

     With our structure, operations rules, forms, and expedited reporting system, this project can be implemented anywhere in several weeks.

     The project has also received positive interest from the U.S. Congress. Recently, the Senate passed an appropriations bill providing $1.5 million to replicate Project Exile in Philadelphia. The same Senate bill also recommended to the Treasury Secretary that Project Exile be expanded to 50 cities by October 1, 2000, 75 cities by October 1, 2002, and 150 cities by October 1, 2003. At Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearings in July 1998, Senators specifically asked the Attorney General about Project Exile and the possibility of expansion to other areas in the country.

Read A Statement
By Rep. Virgil Goode (VA-5) on the floor of the U. S. House of Representatives
in recognition and support of Project Exile