CHICAGO — Attorney General Merrick Garland was in Chicago Wednesday to discuss ways the U.S. Department of Justice is trying to reduce violent crime.

According to the latest Chicago police statistics, the city continues to see drops in homicides and shootings since the recent peak in 2021 and 2022. There is also a slight drop in overall crime compared to last year.

There is no question violence continues to be a major issue for Chicago. Garland is in town on behalf of the Office of Justice Programs, or OJP. This is the grantmaking arm of the DOJ.

OJP provides funding, training and promotes programs that strengthen community safety and tries to build trust between law enforcement and communities.

The attorney general wasted no time Wednesday to talk about the significant drop in violent crime across the country over the past few years, and in homicides and shootings here in Chicago. But he also noted there is a lot more work to do.

“I do not need to tell this group, or this city, that violent crime is devastating, and that the violent crime that began surging early in the pandemic took an enormous toll on communities across the country,” Garland said.

Garland publically congratulated Chicago’s READI program on its successes, which the attorney general visited after being sworn in as AG three-years ago. It’s also one of the benefactors of the OJP’s grants.

Garland also announced Wednesday the DOJ would be making a $78 million investment in community violence intervention programs and research across the country.

While Garland was the headliner, over the next few days other speakers from across the country will share gun reduction and violence prevention techniques used in other communities.