After a quick introduction, FBI Director James Comey, a Connecticut native, wasted no time getting to the heart of the issues he's facing just three months into the job.
“The thing I'm worrying about most these days is actually something I didn't expect to worry about that much, and that's the budget,” said Comey.
He said that if the federal budget woes continue, he'll be forced to eliminate 3500 positions and furlough local offices like the one in New Haven. That means local authorities may not have their federal counterparts alongside them, fighting what Comey says is a huge problem in three major cities in this state: an uptick in violent crime.
“It's something that we at the FBI, and especially our state and local partners, are working hard on. It's the reason we just created another violent crime task force here in Connecticut to try and do something to save those lives,” said Comey.
New Haven Police Chief Dean Esserman said he too worries about what the federal budget means for those task forces, but also said Comey's actions have already spoke about his commitment to Connecticut.
“This past week, an FBI agent was full-time assigned to the New Haven Shooting Task Force. We've never had an FBI agent in our shooting task force before. I think his actions speak for themselves,” said Esserman.
Director Comey also spoke about the recent close calls in Connecticut with potential gunmen on college campuses. He said law enforcement responded appropriately.
Local
Comey encourages residents to continue to following the "See Something, Say Something" campaign and report suspicious activity to police.
