U.S. Attorney's Office To Work With Local Partners To Reduce Domestic Violence

KNOXVILLE, TENN. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Tennessee, Eastern), published as received.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – 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 (USAOs) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) 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 under 18 U.S. Code Section 922(g) from owning firearms.

In making the announcement, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland explained, “Today, I designated an initial set of 78 communities across the country, with more to follow, where we will surge Department resources to combat firearm violence against intimate partners and children.”

In the Eastern District of Tennessee, the City of Chattanooga was designated.

“The cooperation and partnership between federal and state law enforcement in Chattanooga has always been strong,” said United States Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III, of the Eastern District of Tennessee.  “Our office supports the Department of Justice’s designation of Chattanooga as a community where federal prosecutors and agents will continue to work beside our local counterparts and community stakeholders to further target the most violent individuals, including violent domestic abusers.  In collaboration with our state and local partners, we will continue to hold armed domestic violence offenders accountable.”

“ATF recognizes the role firearms play in violent crimes and, more specifically, domestic violence.” ATF Special Agent in Charge, Marcus Watson stated. “We at ATF are committed to aggressively pursuing prohibited possession of firearms due to domestic violence convictions and will continue to work with our partners to remove convicted domestic abusers who possess firearms from our communities.”

Locally, the United States Attorney’s Office regularly assists with the prosecution of violent individuals who illegally possess firearms.  Federal prosecutors routinely collaborate with Chattanooga-area assistant district attorneys general to evaluate strategies to maximize the effective prosecution of firearms crime in both state and federal court. Prosecutors estimate at least 50 percent of those individuals identified for federal prosecution for these offenses have a previous domestic violence arrest or conviction.

Designated areas across the country include rural areas, suburban areas, urban areas, and Tribal communities.  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 USAOs continue to coordination with their local stakeholders.  All USAOs, 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.

Complete List of Jurisdictions as of September 11, 2024: