That man, who was arrested and charged with carrying a concealed weapon at the state level, could be a candidate for federal prosecution, Toledo police Sgt. Joe Heffernan said.
Lawrence Morris, 24, of 4125 W. Sylvania Ave., was arraigned Monday in Toledo Municipal Court and is being held in the Lucas County jail in lieu of $15,000 bond.
Because police say he illegally possessed a firearm, Morris' case could be tried by prosecutors at the federal level. In 2011, federal prosecutors convicted 26 people charged with gun crimes in the city, as part of an increased effort to impose stiff penalties on Toledo's most violent offenders.
The 26 gun convictions are the greatest number of federal prosecutions for the city, said police Chief Derrick Diggs.
In 2010, 16 gun crimes were prosecuted at a federal level, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Dave Bauer. Data for previous years were unavailable.
"Because of the increased gun violence in the city, we stepped that program [Project Save Neighborhoods] up," Mr. Bauer said during a Monday morning news conference on the third floor of the Safety Building.
Mr. Bauer highlighted five previous Toledo convictions — not all from 2011 — that show sentences of seven to 22 years.
"These offenders are getting 22 years, 18 years, 15 years, just for possessing a gun, and that's a message," said Special Agent Kyle Walton of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. "If you have a violent criminal history and you're unlawfully possessing a firearm and we catch up with you — and we are going to — you're going to prison for a long time."
Not every person who is arrested for illegally possessing a firearm is prosecuted at a federal level. Toledo police Sgt. Joe Heffernan said for every federal case, there might be 10 cases that remain at the state level.
Certain criteria must be met before a federal prosecutor will see a case, Mr. Bauer explained.
The Toledo Police Department, in many instances, must recommend cases to the ATF, which screens each case. In order to be elevated to the federal level, the offender must have a history of violent crime or drug trafficking, Mr. Bauer said.
"We try to do the ones that have the most significant criminal histories so they can get significant sentences," Mr. Bauer said.
Federal sentences do not allow for parole or probation; most sentences are served out of state, "so it's going to be more inconvenient for your family members to come visit you," Mr. Walton said. "So think twice about carrying a gun unlawfully, that's our message."
Since the beginning of this year, federal prosecutors have charged six people with gun-related crimes.
"We're doing all that we can to protect [the community] and reduce gun violence in this city," Chief Diggs said.
The police department has been through some restructuring to best combat violence and get guns off the streets. Several units are now a part of Strategic Response Bureau, which puts units like the gun task force and SWAT under a single command.
"Most of the violent crime that took place last year involved gangs, guns, or drugs," Chief Diggs said.
Sergeant Heffernan said the people who have committed violent crimes and are known to carry guns "are on the radar."
"Our message is simple. Gun crime equals prison time," Mr. Walton said.
Contact Taylor Dungjen at: tdungjen@theblade.com or 419-724-6054.