Melinda Katz (Katz Flickr)
June 23, 2020 By Allie Griffin
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Monday that her office has formed a violent crimes bureau to prosecute street gangs, drug traffickers and firearms dealers.
The newly-created Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau combines the former Narcotics Investigations and Gang Violence bureaus. The unit focuses on identifying organized criminal activity in Queens.
“As your District Attorney, I promised to do everything possible to rid our neighborhoods of violent gangs, gun runners and drug traffickers,” Katz said in a statement.
“My Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau will stomp out crews that profit from selling instruments of death in our communities.”
The bureau will work with law enforcement and the community to gather information on gangs and organized operations.
“This reconfigured Bureau will use every resource available to ensure criminal networks, gang activity and other organized operations run by drivers of crime are dismantled and that the drugs and weapons they peddle will be taken off our streets,” Katz said.
Katz recruited long-time prosecutor Jonathan Sennett from the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office to serve as the new bureau chief. He had most recently served as First Deputy Bureau Chief of the Brooklyn DA’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau.
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