{"id":31801,"date":"2022-05-16T14:11:56","date_gmt":"2022-05-16T14:11:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/2022\/05\/16\/susan-collins-and-angus-king-should-support-steve-dettelbach-for-atf-appointment\/"},"modified":"2022-05-16T14:11:56","modified_gmt":"2022-05-16T14:11:56","slug":"susan-collins-and-angus-king-should-support-steve-dettelbach-for-atf-appointment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/2022\/05\/16\/susan-collins-and-angus-king-should-support-steve-dettelbach-for-atf-appointment\/","title":{"rendered":"Susan Collins and Angus King should support Steve Dettelbach for ATF appointment"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"has-light-gray-background-color has-background\"><em>The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set newsroom policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20210224141729\/http:\/\/bangordailynews.com\/\">bangordailynews.com<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><em>Jonathan Sahrbeck is the Cumberland County District Attorney<\/em><\/p>\n<p>During a single week in April, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newscentermaine.com\/article\/news\/crime\/shootings-in-bangor-lewiston-portland-within-a-week-but-no-arrests\/97-4ba0581a-f861-4a3f-94b5-0e8df1029439\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0three Maine communities<\/a>\u00a0were rocked by gun violence, including the shooting death of a man in <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bangordailynews.com\/2022\/04\/26\/news\/portland\/man-dies-after-portland-shooting\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Portland<\/a>. Gun violence also struck <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bangordailynews.com\/2022\/05\/05\/news\/bangor\/3-more-men-arrested-in-connection-with-shooting-outside-bangor-nightclub\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Bangor<\/a>\u00a0and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bangordailynews.com\/2022\/04\/28\/news\/central-maine\/24-year-old-woman-seriously-injured-in-lewiston-shooting\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Lewiston<\/a>\u00a0days apart.<\/p>\n<p>Gun violence is also a problem in rural parts of the state, including Washington County, which has seen a <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bangordailynews.com\/2022\/04\/26\/news\/down-east\/high-number-washington-county-homicides-joam40zk0w\/\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0spike in violent crime this year<\/a>.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-1    \">\n<aside id=\"newspack-ads-widget-20\" class=\"widget_newspack-ads-widget clearfix\"\/>\n<aside id=\"custom_html-18\" class=\"widget_text widget_custom_html clearfix\"\/><\/aside>\n<p>As district attorney in Cumberland County, I see the lives that are shattered when guns are used to commit a crime and understand the fear that can be created in the communities where those crimes occur.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why I strongly support the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/statements-releases\/2022\/04\/11\/fact-sheet-the-biden-administration-cracks-down-on-ghost-guns-ensures-that-atf-has-the-leadership-it-needs-to-enforce-our-gun-laws\/\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0nomination of Steve Dettelbach<\/a>\u00a0as the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and hope for his confirmation by the U.S. Senate.<\/p>\n<p>Dettelbach is a former U.S. attorney and prosecutor who has earned <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/law-enforcement-bipartisan-prosecutors-back-biden-atf-pick\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0bipartisan support<\/a>\u00a0for his nomination based on his track record in Ohio, and has the backing of members of the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2022\/04\/22\/politics\/major-county-sheriffs-of-america-dettelbach\/index.html\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0law enforcement community<\/a>, including <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2022\/04\/22\/politics\/major-county-sheriffs-of-america-dettelbach\/index.html\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0Major County Sheriffs of America<\/a>\u00a0and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2022\/04\/28\/bidens-choice-to-lead-gun-agency-picks-up-backing-of-famed-prosecutors-00028744\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0other prosecutors<\/a>.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-2    \">\n<aside id=\"custom_html-9\" class=\"widget_text widget_custom_html clearfix\"\/><\/aside>\n<p>During his time as a prosecutor, Dettelbach has taken on violent criminal gangs, hate crimes and the KKK, church arson and gun violence. And while he\u2019s worked to keep our streets safe, he\u2019s also worked to support the victims of crime and the survivors of violence.<\/p>\n<p>Dettelbach has worked closely with the ATF on high-profile investigations, and is the right person to lead the bureau as our country deals with an <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/01\/18\/briefing\/crime-surge-homicides-us.html\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0increase in violent crime<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>According to a new <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/counciloncj.org\/crime-trends-yearend-2021-update\/\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0report by the Council on Criminal Justice<\/a>, the number of homicides in 2021 increased by 5 percent over 2020, while gun assaults were up by 8 percent.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-3    \">\n<aside id=\"newspack-ads-widget-7\" class=\"widget_newspack-ads-widget clearfix\"\/><\/aside>\n<p>The <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.atf.gov\/\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0ATF is the federal law enforcement agency<\/a>\u00a0within the Department of Justice that\u2019s responsible for enforcing federal gun laws. The bureau also fights other types of violent crime, including domestic extremism, religious violence and arson.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, the political fight over gun safety reform and gun laws has placed the ATF in a perilous position. In 2006, the director\u2019s position was changed to require Senate confirmation. Since then, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/national-security\/senate-confirms-atf-director\/2013\/07\/31\/dc9b0644-fa09-11e2-8752-b41d7ed1f685_story.html\" rel=\"noopener\">only one person<\/a>\u00a0has been confirmed for the job and it\u2019s been seven years since the bureau had a Senate-confirmed director. <\/p>\n<p>While the people who have served the agency have worked hard, the instability and lack of a permanent director has undermined the ATF\u2019s work to keep our communities safe.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-4    \">\n<aside id=\"newspack-ads-widget-19\" class=\"widget_newspack-ads-widget clearfix\"\/><\/aside>\n<p>The fight over the confirmation of the ATF director has become a proxy for issues that are really decided at the policy level by the White House, the Department of Justice and Congress. The job is too important to leave unfilled and this nominee unconfirmed. If the Senate wants to truly support law enforcement efforts and crack down on violent crime, they must act swiftly to confirm Dettelbach as director.<\/p>\n<p>ATF needs a <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cleveland.com\/politics\/2022\/04\/clevelands-steve-dettelbachs-road-to-confirmation-as-atf-director-will-feature-deep-dives-on-his-legacy-as-us-attorney-run-for-ohio-ag.html\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0strong, smart and tough leader<\/a>, who will implement the law \u2013 as enacted by Congress.<\/p>\n<p>The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives faces an enormous job that is difficult and dangerous. In the last five years, the bureau has traced <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.atf.gov\/resource-center\/data-statistics\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a01.3 million guns that were used in crimes<\/a>, helping local and state law enforcement agencies to solve crimes and take criminals off the streets.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-5    \">\n<aside id=\"custom_html-19\" class=\"widget_text widget_custom_html clearfix\"\/><\/aside>\n<p>In 2020, the ATF investigated more than <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.atf.gov\/file\/155141\/download\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0400 bombings and nearly 5,500 suspicious packages<\/a>\u00a0and just over <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.atf.gov\/file\/155146\/download\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a07,000 arson cases<\/a>. The work that the bureau does is too important to be carried out without a Senate-confirmed director.<\/p>\n<p>The ATF is a resource and a partner for law enforcement in Maine, including in Cumberland County, and around the country. Their agents assist local law enforcement agencies in tracing guns, tracking down illegal gun purchases, and in ballistics. Dettlebach has demonstrated that he is highly qualified and the leader that the bureau needs.<\/p>\n<p>Overall in our state, communities are safe \u2013 we know that. Our <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bangordailynews.com\/2021\/11\/29\/news\/maines-crime-rate-has-fallen-more-than-50-percent-in-past-decade\/\" rel=\"noopener\">crime rate<\/a>\u00a0is low and our neighborhoods are filled with people who care for and look after one another. But as we\u2019ve been reminded recently, we are not immune from gun violence and gun crime. It\u2019s critical that we have an ATF director who can help us meet the challenges of today. Sens. Angus King and Susan Collins should protect our communities and support this law enforcement agency. They must vote to confirm Steve Dettlebach as director of ATF.<\/p>\n<p><h3 class=\"jp-relatedposts-headline\"><em>More articles from the BDN<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<section id=\"custom_html-2\" class=\"widget_text below-content widget widget_custom_html\"\/>\n<section id=\"custom_html-20\" class=\"widget_text below-content widget widget_custom_html\"\/>\t<\/div>\n<p>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/bangordailynews.com\/2022\/05\/16\/opinion\/opinion-contributor\/susan-collins-and-angus-king-should-support-steve-dettelbach-for-atf-appointment\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set newsroom policies or contribute&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31802,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-policy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31801"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31801\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}