Threats to U.S. public servants are spiking, Garland says

Federal law enforcement has recorded a “deeply disturbing spike” in threats against government workers and public servants in recent months, Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters Friday.

This week alone, officials are investigating bomb threats that forced evacuations at several courthouses and state capitols across the country. The attorney general said federal officials also arrested and charged a man for threatening to kill a congressman and his children.

“This is just a small snapshot of a larger trend that has included threats of violence against those who administer elections, ensure our safe travel, teach our children, report the news, represent their constituents and keep our communities safe,” Garland said. “These threats of violence are unacceptable. They threaten our fabric of democracy.”

Garland made the comments ahead of a private meeting with law enforcement officials at Justice Department headquarters to discuss violent crime. The attorney general said officials would be discussing how best to “double down” on efforts to fight the rise in threats against government workers.

While threats are increasing, Garland said, homicide numbers across the country have declined. From 2021 to 2022, homicides dropped 6 percent. The attorney general also cited numbers from the Major Cities Chiefs Association, which reported a “double-digit decrease” in murders in 69 major cities between much of 2022 and 2023.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco told reporters Friday that officials in Baltimore said homicides had dropped by more than 20 percent this past year. And Detroit recorded the fewest homicides last year since 1966 - along with double-digit reductions in shootings and carjackings, city officials said.

But the officials noted that not every jurisdiction has seen this decline in homicide rates. In D.C., for example, 2023 marked the city’s deadliest year in more than two decades. Garland said Friday’s meeting would cover which violent crime initiatives are working and which aren’t - and how best to apply the effective tactics in places such as D.C.

Garland said President Biden’s 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act has been effective in getting some guns out of the hands of young people. The law enabled the FBI to conduct enhanced background checks for people younger than 21 who are trying to buy a firearm. In addition to running the typical background check through databases, the FBI can now reach out to more state and local law enforcement officials, who may have additional disqualifying information about a prospective buyer.

Garland said enhanced background checks have prevented the purchase of 527 firearms.

The attorney general’s comments came on the eve of the third anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, in which more than 140 police officers were assaulted. Five people died during the violence or in its immediate aftermath.

Garland said the Justice Department has so far charged 1,250 people and secured 890 convictions in connection with the attack, which aimed to stop the peaceful transfer of power from President Donald Trump to Biden.

“We must never forget the terrible violence inflicted on law enforcement officers on January 6,” Garland said. “Since the January 6 attack, the Justice Department has engaged in what has become one of the largest and most complex and resource-intensive investigations in our history.”