Louisiana Western District PSN 2023

Since 2002, the U. S. Attorney's Office for the WDLA has developed the PSN Initiative in five regional task forces located in the major cities of the judicial divisions of the District B Shreveport, Monroe, Alexandria, Lafayette and Lake Charles. The WDLA covers more than 2.1 million citizens, 42 of Louisiana's 64 parishes, and over 200 law enforcement agencies. The District has two major military installations and five recognized Native American tribes.
Due to the success of the WDLA PSN Initiative and PSN Task Forces, reinforced throughout the District since October 2017, violent crime prosecutions involving firearms with charges under 18 U.S.C. §§ 922 and 924 have increased significantly, reaching a high point in FY2019 with 98.8% sentenced to prison. Since 2019, sentenced to prison rates are as follows: 95.2% in 2020, and 97.7% in 2021, and 94.7% in 2022.
The specific goals and objectives of the PSN Task Forces in the WDLA are:
(1) To reduce gun and gang crime and violence, thereby creating safer neighborhoods, and sustaining that reduction through prevention, enforcement, and intervention;
(2) To support increased law enforcement programs to identify, target, and arrest violent armed offenders and armed criminal organizations;
(3) To aggressively prosecute violent crimes including, but not limited to, felonious firearm crimes and criminal gang violence; and,
(4) To educate juveniles on gun and gang-related issues and the consequences of violent crime in order to reduce the occurrence of youth-related incidents and increase positive outcomes for at-risk youths, as well as, to provide mentoring strategies for at-risk youth.
Enforcement/deterrence-focused strategies include the following:
(1) To identify the most prolific and violent offenders and to concentrate joint efforts of federal, state and local law enforcement to target and arrest violent offenders;
(2) To increase intensive law enforcement presence in areas of high gun and gang activity; and,
(3) To continue joint federal, state and local screening of gun and gang-related cases, ensuring defendants are charged and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.