Chicago, other cities, to get new federal prosecutors

CHICAGO – The Department of Justice says Chicago’s U.S. attorney’s office is getting additional staff prosecutors so it can do more to reduce violent crime.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions says a total of 40 new prosecutors will be distributed among 27 locations. Most will receive just one, including the southern district of Indiana and the western district of Michigan.

A Friday Justice Department statement says the Chicago-based northern district of Illinois will get three, as will a district of Maryland.

Chicago’s U.S. attorney’s office has more than 150 prosecutors. It has said for years that staff numbers were down, hampering its ability to open more gang and guns cases.

President Donald Trump has criticized Chicago for high rates of gun violence. City officials say Trump oversimplifies the problem.