FBI SAFE STREETS TASK FORCE TARGETS VIOLENT CRIME & GANGS
IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS
Rock Island, IL – The sentence today of a Rock Island, Illinois man to life in federal prison with no parole for conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine represents one recent success by local, state and federal law enforcement to shut down drug distribution networks in central Illinois and raise awareness of the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force Program.
United States District Judge Joe Billy McDade sentenced Chuck Beason, a/k/a, “Chucky,” age 41, to life imprisonment and ordered that his home, at 930 6th Street, Rock Island, be forfeited to the government. The home was fortified with interior and exterior surveillance cameras and was located next to an elementary school. Beason pled guilty in June 2006 to conspiracy to distribute at least two kilograms of crack cocaine from 2001 to February 2006. Beason had two prior felony drug convictions from Rock Island county: unlawful possession of cocaine in 1992 and unlawful possession with intent to deliver cannabis in 1989. Chuck Beason’s brother, Robert Lee Beason, Jr., a/k/a “Spooky,” age 51, pled guilty in May 2006 to conspiring with his brother to distribute crack cocaine and was sentenced in September to 20 years in federal prison.
The FBI recently released preliminary Uniform Crime Report (UCR) statistics for 2006. UCR data indicates that violent crime was up 3.7% for the first half of 2006, compared to the same time period for 2005. The Uniform Crime Reporting Program is a nationwide cooperative statistical effort of city, county, and state law enforcement agencies who voluntarily report crime statistics within their jurisdictions. UCR data is based upon submissions from over 17,000 law enforcement agencies across the United States, representing 94% of the Nation. The complete Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report is available on the FBI’s website at www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm.
The FBI has a long history of engaging in the fight against violent crime. FBI Special Agent in Charge, Weysan Dun, noted that “ while National Security remains the FBI’s top priority, our violent crime resources are focused on the most acute problems facing our society, including complex multi-jurisdictional investigations where the FBI can bring unique capabilities to the table.”
U.S. Attorney Heaton said, “Congress has provided federal courts with severe sentences to deter drug distributors. Because Mr. Beason failed to heed earlier warnings by the state courts to cease drug distribution, today he faces spending the rest of his life in prison. The resources provided by the Safe Streets Task Forces provide vital support to augment the work of local, state and other federal law enforcement agencies.”
In the Quad Cities area, the FBI is working with local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, to leverage resources focused on violent crime, through the FBI Safe Streets Task Force Program. The Quad Cities Federal Gang Task Force is part of the FBI Safe Streets Task Force program. The following agencies participate in the intelligence-driven interagency Task Force in the Quad Cities area:
- Davenport Police Department;
- East Moline Police Department;
- Moline Police Department;
- Rock Island Police Department;
- Rock Island Sheriff’s Department;
- Scott County Sheriff’s Department.
The Quad Cities Federal Gang Task Force, established in 1994, has successfully prosecuted approximately 500 subjects on various drug and weapons charges, in coordination with the United States Attorney’s Office in the Central District of Illinois and the Southern District of Iowa, as well as the Rock Island County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Scott County, Iowa Attorney’s Office.
The Springfield Division of the FBI currently operates three Safe Streets Task Forces, in Central and Southern Illinois, including the Quad Cities area, the Peoria area, and the Metro East area. Over 500 law enforcement agencies throughout the United States devote resources to the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force program. There has been a steady increase nationwide in the number of Task Force arrests and criminal charges over the last four years.
On the national level, the National Gang Intelligence Center provides timely information sharing across jurisdictions, and strategic analysis of federal, state, and local law enforcement information focusing on the growth, migration, trends, and association of gangs that pose a significant threat to communities throughout the United States.
Marshall Stone
Supervisory Special Agent/
Media Coordinator
FBI, Springfield
(217)522-9675
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