A long-running federal anti-violence program will be expanding to downtown Chicago and mass transit for the first time this summer, enhancing the investigation and prosecution of gun crimes, drug trafficking, robberies and carjackings at a time when city violence typically spikes.

The creation of a new downtown zone for the program, Project Safe Neighborhoods, is the first public initiative announced by U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros, who took office two months ago and has said that curbing violence is at the top of his to-do list.

“Downtown Chicago is the capital of the region’s economy and the cultural and civic heart of the Midwest, where interstate commerce runs strong,” Boutros said in a statement. “Many billions of dollars of revenue, taxes, and investments are anchored in our city’s

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