Georgia’s AG: Fighting Gangs and Human Trafficking

“Like [how] the Southern District of New York became the hub for financial crimes, the Northern District of Georgia has become a hub for online financial crimes and cybersecurity because it all runs through our network.”

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr has served in his current role since November of 2016. Mr. Carr had previously been chief of staff to United States Senator Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.). Since assuming the role of Attorney General, Mr. Carr has made addressing gang violence a priority, and, in concert with Governor Brian Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp, he has been involved in an initiative to raise public awareness about human trafficking. Mr. Carr has also gained attention for appearing in a series of online videos with various athletes to discourage underage drinking. Merion West editor Erich Prince speaks with Attorney General Carr at the Attorney General’s office in Atlanta. The interview focuses on the Attorney General’s efforts to address gang violence in the state, reduce the prevalence of human trafficking, and ensure that cybercrime is properly prosecuted.

Starting off, I want to bring up the op-ed you you had with us in September. You talked about the extent of gang crime, the extent of gang violence, and I think a lot of people are a little surprised to hear how prevalent it is. I know in that op-ed you cited that “nearly half of all violent crimes are gang-related.” Why are we not hearing more about this, and can you talk about the extent of the problem because a lot of people hearing this for the first time are fairly surprised about the extent of it?

Sure. And I think the reason that folks haven’t spoken more about it is—I think there was some sort of fear of talking about it. Or maybe there was some sort of embarrassment that this might be happening in our community, but what we’ve seen is that the gang issue and this crisis is not unique to Georgia. It’s not just an urban or suburban or rural issue; it impacts the entire state, as it does many other states. And so what I’ve seen is—and I’ve really seen it over the last twelve to eighteen months—I commend Governor Kemp; he has raised this issue. He ran on it when he ran in 2018. He has hired Vic Reynolds, an outstanding former prosecutor, as head of the GBI; he has put resources toward it. But the media has also been paying attention to this issue. So I’ve really seen—in the last twelve to eighteen months—that there has been a greater awareness in the community at large—and I mean that statewide—to address this issue. And what I have found is [that] people have seen gang activity in their community. They just wanted to know the cavalry’s coming. What you’ve seen in Georgia is you’ve seen this emphasis on making sure we take care of violent criminals, get them off the streets, dismantle those who are trying to sell human beings, or guns, or drugs, or perpetrate cybercrimes, or steal benefits, or whatever it may be—and make sure that we do something about it.