NCJ Number
129005
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 58 Issue: 3 Dated: (March 1991) Pages: 39-40
Date Published
1991
Length
2 pages
Annotation
This article describes Project Achilles, a joint program of the Metro-Dade Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). It is designed to identify, investigate, and prosecute the habitual offender regarding firearms use and possession under the provisions of the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984.
Abstract
Two specific sections of this law, the Armed Career Criminal Act of 1984 and the Use of a Firearm During a Federal Drug Crime or Crime of Violence mandate imprisonment. The former is aimed at offenders with previous State or Federal convictions when apprehended for possession of firearms and the latter for offenders using a firearm while committing a Federal crime of violence or drug trafficking. The Career Crime Criminal Section of the department is divided into three units: the Research and Classification Unit; the Offender Tracking Unit; and the Criminal Apprehension Unit. Once the criminal is arrested, the goal of the units is to prevent release prior to trial and to eliminate plea bargaining. An analysis of the first 400 career criminals processed through the program reveals a 71-percent increase in the number of offenders held without bond or failing to post bond and a 59-percent increase in prison sentences. The ability of the program to identify many of these habitual offenders indicates its success as well as coordination between the investigative and prosecutorial units.