INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WOWO): Federal prosecutors will coordinate information-sharing about Indy‘s worst criminals and most crime-ridden neighborhoods.

Indy already has task forces of federal, state and local law enforcement officials to combat gangs and drug dealers. Acting U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler says he‘ll work to assemble similar meetings to compare notes on Indy‘s most violent areas and individuals. He says such hotspots account for a disproportionate share of violent crime, and says a concerted effort can ensure information gleaned in one jurisdiction finds its way to others.<br />
And Minkler says a cooperative effort will ensure there‘s followup beyond investigations and arrests. He says crime prevention is a critical piece of any anti-crime strategy. And he praises public and private efforts in Indianapolis to make it easier for released felons to find jobs and reduce the chance they‘ll return to a life of crime.

Minkler says similar efforts have been successful in Philadelphia and East Saint Louis. U-S Attorney Steve Wigginton, whose Illinois district includes East Saint Louis, says Indianapolis police officers have been shot at more than 30 times in the last year, with two officers killed in the line of duty. He says that number is alarmingly high.