DOJ aims to reduce domestic violence in Greene County

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Greene County, Missouri, has been designated by the U.S. Department of Justice to receive additional resources to focus on combating domestic gun violence.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland has approved an initial set of 78 communities across 47 states, territories, and the District of Columbia for designation under Section 1103 of the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022. The Justice Department – through its United States Attorney’s offices and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives field divisions – will partner with each designated jurisdiction to develop a plan to reduce intimate partner firearm violence and to prioritize prosecutions of domestic violence offenders prohibited from owning firearms.

In Greene County, the department is providing additional resources to combat firearm violence against intimate partners and children. Two assistant prosecutors in the Greene County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office will be cross-designated as special assistant U.S. attorneys to prosecute firearms cases in federal court. “We appreciate the involvement of Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson, Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott, Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams and other local agencies in our coordinated effort to protect victims of domestic violence” said U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore.

“Working alongside the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Greene County authorities, we are developing strategies and prioritizing prosecutions for offenders who illegally possess a gun and engage in intimate partner violence” said U.S. Attorney Moore.

Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson said, “I am excited to have the United States Attorney’s Office partner with our Domestic Violence Unit, the Springfield Police Department, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, and the Greene County Family Justice Center in the fight to reduce domestic violence in our community. Enforcing existing federal gun laws to prosecute domestic violence offenders will help ensure that those who threaten the safety of their family and household members and our community are held accountable, preventing future harm, and protecting survivors from escalating violence.”

“In April, ATF hosted the first Inaugural Gun Violence Survivors’ Summit to honor those who have fallen to domestic violence and today’s announcement is an example of how ATF will continue to work tirelessly to protect our communities every day,” stated Bernard G. Hansen, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Kansas City Field Division.  “ATF’s mission is as critical as it has ever been;  we will not stop working to prevent gun violence and will do everything we can to stop the cycle of domestic abuse.”

Communities have been designated in close coordination with community stakeholders. They include rural areas, suburban areas, urban areas, and Tribal communities. The Justice Department used data to identify communities that could benefit from increased focus on intimate partner violence resources and where the local jurisdiction is committed to partnering with the Department to increase the use of federal tools to prosecute offenders under 18 U.S.C. 922(g). The designation represents the partnership and coordination between the department and the local jurisdiction to ensure federal resources are being leveraged effectively to address intimate partner firearm violence.

The Justice Department anticipates additional jurisdictions to be designated as U.S. Attorney’s Offices continue coordination with their local stakeholders.  All U.S. Attorney’s Offices, with or without specific community designations under Section 1103, will continue to combat intimate partner firearm violence and prioritize prosecutions of domestic violence offenders as part of their Project Safe Neighborhoods strategy and in support of the department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime.