SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - Under a new partnership, the Springfield Police Department and local Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) agents will work together to combat gun violence in the Capitol city.

Springfield Police Chief Ken Scarlette says he's seen partnerships like this work well in other cities and he hopes it will quickly cut down gun violence in Springfield. 

"There is a correlation between removing illegal firearms from our street and then some of these crimes starting to trend downward," said Scarlette. "Essentially, we want to reduce the amount of innocent victims in our community that that have to endure gun violence." 

Through the partnership, one SPD Detective has been deputized as an ATF agent. This means the department has access to many federal resources, including equipment, technology and databases. This also means the department has the ability to seek further charges than they currently have the authority too. 

"When we come across an individual who has committed a crime involving a gun, we have the opportunity to take those charges stateside or federal based on, essentially the severity of the punishment at either one," said Chief Scarlette. "So it's just one more tool that we have at our disposal to, again, help mitigate some of the issues we've seen here in Springfield locally."

Scarlette hopes the partnership will help continue the momentum the department started in 2024, by breaking records when it comes to enforcement. In 2024, the Department seized 505 illegal firearms. Scarlette said that led to a 10% decrease in shots fired. 

His overall goal is to improve the safety of each citizen of Springfield as well as his officers. He hopes to share the results of the partnership with the community a few times each year. 

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