DOJ hosts law enforcement firearms training session in Selma

From the West Alabama Newsroom–

Gun violence is on the rise around the state — and law enforcement officers are now learning better techniques to investigate and prosecute cases involving firearms.

Officers from nine law enforcement agencies attended a training session in Selma — that provided them with the proper techniques to use to investigate and document cases involving firearms.

The U. S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama hosted the training.

“To the extent we can give our law enforcement partners the tools and the training to better investigate and better prosecute those cases, we can make all of these communities safer,” said U. S. Attorney Sean Costello.

Law enforcement officials say the spike in gun violence coincides with the passage of the state’s Open Carry law — that allows for anyone 18 and over — to legally carry a gun.

“Before that law passed we didn’t have as many cases to where 18, 19 year olds was doing all this shooting. We’ve got it now,” said DCSO Investigator Kenny Harden.

“You can go to any town, any county and you can see where it has increased and nearly tripled from what it was before this law passed on open carry.”

“What I hear from the men and women who live in this community, who are here every single day — is their concern about violent crime,” said Costello.

“Gun crime is a huge problem. We’re trying to do what we can with our partners to maximize the difference that we can make. We take the guns off the streets. We take the shooters off the street and we essentially make these communities better than what we have right now.

The training session was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Some of the topics included — available investigative tools — social media — and firearms laws.