SHREVEPORT — Zachary Keller, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, along with the FBI New Orleans Field Office and other local and state officials, announced the formation of the Gator Task Force on Monday. 

The initiative is to combat violent crime and drug trafficking in North Louisiana, with the purpose of the task force being to proactively arrest violent criminals and fugitives and increase the swift dismantling of violent gangs through the collaboration of federal, state, and local partners. 

"We've had over 400 cases in the last year charged through the U.S. Attorney's office," Keller said. "That our number of felon firearm possession cases is up 88% ... That we charge more than twice as many cases as the last year of the prior administration." 

The formation of the Gun Crime Abatement and Targeted Offender Response force, which began in mid-July, has led to 65 arrests, 8 indictments, the seizure of 20 pounds of meth and over 19 firearms and the recovery of four stolen vehicles, according to Keller. 

"It's important having partnerships that result in immediate results for the community."

The task force also played a role in capturing escaped inmate Tre'veon Jackson, who allegedly carjacked someone after escaping. The task force led to Jackson being charged the same day. 

"What we have now, which we lacked before, is a core group of task force officers federally sworn along with FBI special agents who now are getting information from all the different groups in this community who make this community safe," Keller said. 

The Gator Task Force is being used as the centralized hub to locate the most dangerous offenders in the state and prosecute them.

Gov. Jeff Landry said that three cities that were previously in the top ten most dangerous cities in the country are no longer on that list following similar efforts to the task force. 

"The reason those cities aren't on the top ten most dangerous in America anymore is because of federal involvement. Is because of the partnership you are witnessing today," Landry said.

"When we have the U.S. attorney, the federal agencies, the district attorneys, our local sheriffs, our city police officers all pulling in the same direction, it allows us to get dangerous criminals off the street."