Monday, March 17, 2008; Posted 4:23 pm (CDT)

The US Attorney's Office and the Oklahoma County District Attorney's Office have teamed up to stop gang violence on the streets.

In the Oklahoma County District Attorney's Office the head of the gang unit will now also be employed at the US Attorney's Office. This position will allow better communication between state and federal prosecutors, which means the most prosecutional bang for the buck.

"Gang violence is a classic example of something that violates both state and federal law," says Oklahoma County Assistant District Attorney Scott Rowland.

Now with the help of a federal grant, a prosecutor works for both offices as a liaison between the two.

"It allows a sharing of prosecutorial resources," says Rowland.

The sharing of resources will also allow for better communication.

"A lot of the different investigative agencies while they were working with the same problem they were not necessarily coordinating as effective as possible," says US Attorney John Richter.

Now they can be more effective using the law as their weapon.

"Use the leverage that is gained when someone is facing a criminal charge and time in prison," says Richter.

Often times one gang member knows the activities of other gang members, and that includes illegal activities. With the liaison the information available will be used more effectively.

Usually state charges can be filed more quickly, but federal charges carry a heavier penalty. The liaison can make sure they prosecute the appropriate one.