The training is part of the LEATH Initiative (Law Enforcement Action to Halt Domestic Violence), named in honor of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) Officer Breann Leath.
Hancock County, Indiana – The Hancock County Prosecutor’s Office partnered with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana for a training to help local law enforcement target dangerous and violent offenders on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.
The presentation featured evidence to look for and factors to consider in taking firearm and violent crime cases to federal court, specifically focused on machine gun conversion devices. Gun liaisons and officers who are likely to make firearms arrests were encouraged to attend.
This training was the capstone of a ten-month effort led by the Hancock County Prosecutor’s Office in partnership with all local law enforcement agencies to work together to utilize cutting edge evidence collection and investigative techniques to increase enforcement for violent and firearm-related crimes.
“We look forward to partnering with our federal partners to increase safety in central Indiana as we welcome U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers to Hancock County,” said Hancock County Prosecutor Brent Eaton. “I am excited about the partnership that this training will facilitate between state and federal law enforcement. I am certain that this training will help local law enforcement to be able to seek more harsh penalties for gun and violent offenders in the federal system more frequently.”
“Gun violence traumatizes victims and their loved ones, and harms entire communities. Working with our partners in local, state, and federal law enforcement, our office is committed to making our neighborhoods safer by taking deadly weapons out of the hands of people with no lawful business having them,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Across the state, and right here in Hancock County our police are encountering illegally armed criminals and illegal devices like Glock switches-that turn ordinary guns into fully automatic machine guns. At today’s training our prosecutors will discuss federal firearms laws with law enforcement officials from across Hancock County. I’m thankful to Prosecutor Eaton for hosting us and being an outstanding partner. Together we will make Hancock County safer through targeted investigations and prosecutions in our federal and state courts.”
The training is part of the LEATH Initiative (Law Enforcement Action to Halt Domestic Violence), named in honor of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) Officer Breann Leath, who was killed in the line of duty while responding to a domestic disturbance call. A partnership among the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the IMPD, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana, the LEATH Initiative focuses federal, state, and local law enforcement resources on domestic violence offenders who illegally possess firearms.
“I am certain that this collaboration between local law enforcement agencies with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Federal Authorities will provide us with the evidence we need to pursue longer sentences in these types of cases,” said Eaton. “This multi-agency cooperation is a credit to our local law enforcement agencies and their commitment to keep Hancock County Safe. It clearly sends a message to dangerous and violent criminals that they are not welcome in our community.”
The training began at 10 a.m. at the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department. United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana Zachary A. Myers and Hancock County Prosecutor Brent Eaton were available for media interviews before the event at 9am.
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