JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Today, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that Assistant Attorneys General from the Attorney General’s Office were sworn in as Special Assistant United States Attorneys (SAUSAs) in Kansas City and Springfield as part of the Safer Streets Initiative. Two attorneys and a legal secretary were added in Kansas City and an attorney and legal secretary were added in Springfield, augmenting prosecutorial might in the fight to curb alarming violent crime rates. The Safer Streets Initiative was launched in St. Louis in late January and expanded to Kansas City and Springfield in February.
“When I was sworn in as Missouri’s Attorney General, I vowed to protect all six million Missourians, no matter their race, gender, age, or religion. Unfortunately, three of Missouri’s cities – St. Louis, Kansas City, and Springfield – are consistently in the list of the nation’s most dangerous cities. Mothers shouldn’t be worried about their sons never returning home and grandfathers shouldn’t have to worry about being carjacked on the street they’ve lived on their whole lives,” said Attorney General Schmitt. “Starting today, five talented attorneys and staff members from the Attorney General’s Office will work side by side with our federal partners to add more prosecutorial might to combat rising violent crime rates in Kansas City and Springfield. I’m grateful for U.S. Attorney Garrison’s help in implementing this initiative, and I look forward to continuing to work with him and his talented team to keep Missouri citizens safe.”
“From nearly a decade of experience fighting crime in rural Missouri, I’ve seen the rise of violent crime in our communities. I am proud to bring that experience and my experience with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Springfield to combat violence in our communities,” said Springfield SAUSA Tony Brown.
“We have seen a rise in violent crime in Kansas City over the course of this year, and it is devastating our communities, our neighborhoods, and our families. I am excited to be a part of this initiative, because we will be working hard to make Kansas City as safe as possible,” said Kansas City SAUSA Caleb Aponte.
“I’ve prosecuted crime in Missouri for nearly 20 years, and I’m excited to bring that experience to the federal level to help make our communities safer,” said Kansas City SAUSA Lynn Stoppy.
Since taking office in January, Attorney General Schmitt has made fighting alarming violent crime rates one of his top priorities.
In one of his first acts as Attorney General, Schmitt, along with United State Attorney for the Eastern District Jeff Jensen, launched the Safer Streets Initiative in St. Louis. On February 15, Schmitt and United States Attorney for the Western District Tim Garrison announced the expansion of the Safer Streets Initiative to Kansas City and Springfield, an unprecedented cooperative effort between state and federal efforts to combat violent crime.
Through the Safer Streets Initiative, Assistant Attorneys General with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office are deputized as Special Assistant United States Attorneys (SAUSAs), allowing them to seek federal charges in violent crime cases.
Assistant Attorneys General Lynn Stoppy and Caleb Aponte were sworn in for Kansas City, and Assistant Attorney General Anthony Brown was sworn in for Springfield. Legal Secretary Emily Myers will work alongside Kansas City SAUSAs, and legal secretary Susan Frizzell will work alongside the Springfield SAUSA.
Five SAUSAs were added in St. Louis in early April, and have since obtained nine federal indictments.
Video from the initial launch in Kansas City: https://youtu.be/Agji5AeTtNw and Springfield: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucqRWX1xYAE (no attribution required).
