Attorney General William Barr announced Wednesday that the Department of Justice is sending federal law enforcement to Kansas City, Missouri to fight a recent surge in violent crime as part of a program dubbed “Operation Legend.” The program is named after 4-year-old LeGend Tallifero, who was killed on June 29 by gunfire in the city, which has seen a 40 percent surge in homicides compared to 2019. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany read aloud a letter from Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas to Missouri’s governor concerning the crime wave during her announcement of the initiative, but the news came as a surprise to the local leader. He said in a statement, “I learned on Twitter this afternoon that the Department of Justice plans to send federal investigators to Kansas City as support for unsolved homicide and non-fatal shooting investigations.” But Lucas said he would not oppose the initiative: “I plan and hope to learn more about this effort over the days ahead. The investigative support effort announced this afternoon can be only one tool out of many.”
