Feds Create A Task Force To Curb Buffalo Gun Violence

Federal officials have now joined the effort to put an end to gun violence plaguing Western New York. Wednesday, law enforcement agencies gathered to announce a new initiative.

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The “VIPER” task force is the federal government’s response to the surge of gun violence happening in Buffalo and Rochester according to NEWS 4 (WIVB-TV).

U.S. Attorney James Kennedy Jr. joined with Federal and local law enforcement agencies to announce the program. The program according to Kennedy will place an emphasis on community policing and allow law enforcement to work with residents to get illegal guns off the street as well as track down individuals involved in these shootings.

The news conference took place in Rochester’s, N.Y.'s Corn Hill neighborhood, where a mother was recently shot and killed while inside her car with her children. Kennedy says incidents like that and the shootings involving children at JFK park and on Donovan Drive in Buffalo show that an end to this surge must be reached.

“The communities most impacted by violence in my area of responsibility are Buffalo and Rochester. We’re standing up a similar task force tomorrow, we’re announcing it in Buffalo. The objectives are exactly the same – to try and establish a baseline of public safety.”

For the next two months, federal agencies like the DEA, FBI, and U.S. Marshall’s office will be patrolling local areas with the most gun violence and speaking with residents who live in the most affected areas.