and hot spots Conduct proactive street enforcement with local police in targeted hot spots Deploy resources during peak hours of criminal activity Investigate the sources of firearms linked to violent crime Prioritize prosecution of defendants linked to targeted hot spots Publicize success stories Office of the Inspector General Review: Recommendations According to the Office of the Inspector General, the ATF did develop objectives for the VCIT Strategy (six- point approach) to combat violent firearms crime, but the ATF did not execute the Strategy, primarily due to ATF's inconsistent oversight of its Field Divisions on adapting the VCIT Strategy to local operations. The ATF did not develop an adequate evaluation strategy to measure the performance of the VCIT initiative, and ATF's analysis of the data it collected does not support its claims of success. As a result, although the Strategy on paper appears effective, after 24 months of operations and the allotment of more than $35 million in funds for VCIT, ATF cannot definitively show whether the initiative successfully reduced firearms crime in areas with high levels of violent crime. For 2006, ATF received $20 million to expand the VCIT initiative. The ATF should execute the program consistent with its VCIT Strategy allowing the ATF to determine whether the Strategy deems successful. To accomplish this, recommendations for the ATF include: Establish detailed operational guidelines for VCIT implementation, and provide training for ATF Special Agents in Charge and VCIT Coordinators on modifying the VCIT initiative to local crime problems. Develop and implement a pre-deployment evaluation for potential VCIT locations to determine the probable applicability of VCIT to local violent crime problems. Develop and execute an adequate evaluation strategy to assess VCIT performance and impact on violent firearms crime. For existing VCITs, create interagency agreements with federal and local partner agencies defining resource and operational responsibilities. Establish management authority and responsibility for overseeing the implementation and evaluation of local VCIT operations in accordance with the VCIT Strategy. Additions to VCIT New designated cities became the target of federal violent crime task forces. New legislation strengthens federal laws, targeting violent criminals as part of the Department's expanding efforts to fight violent crime. In 2007, the VCIT initiative added four cities, including Mesa, Arizona, Orlando, Florida, San Bernardino, California, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Currently, VCIT target 31 U.S cities. The Violent Crime and Anti-Terrorism Act of 2007 proposes to effectively fight violent crime. The