New Plan to Stop Gun Violence in Newark [AUDIO]

With gun violence escalating in Newark, authorities have put forth a two-pronged plan to get things under control.

"TIDE, which stands for Targeted Integrated Deployment Effort, will put more uniformed troopers on the streets, with plain cloth detectives from the state police and the Newark police department to suppress shootings in the most violent neighborhoods in Newark," said acting state Attorney General John Hoffman during a news conference Wednesday, "and the targeted anti-gun initiative known as TAG will make maximum use of New Jersey's tough gun laws to put criminals who carry guns behind bars."

Hoffman said the staccato rhythm of gunshots you hear on the streets of Newark is something that most Americans never hear, and it causes nervousness and fear.

"In a modern society such as ours, that is just simply unacceptable," he said. "The people of Newark deserve better; they should not have to settle for a life of fear, living in terror that shootings can occur at any time. So all levels of law enforcement are not working together to lock up gun-toting gangsters, drug dealers and recidivist criminals who have been ratcheting up gun violence to intolerable levels."

Hoffman said the TIDE-TAG strategy was unveiled last summer in Trenton, and it worked well to quell violent shootings.

Now is the time to take action," he said. "Unfortunately, shootings and murders escalate in the spring and summer with the warm weather. That is why we have to get out ahead of this problem. We're not going to wait for a murder spike, we're acting now so we can save lives."

Members of the New Jersey State Police will spearhead the initiative, working with Newark Police, and troopers and other law enforcement personnel will utilize intelligence from the Regional Operations and Intelligence Center "in order to zero in on the gang members, drug dealers and serial offenders most responsible for perpetuating the violence in Newark," Hoffman said.

He also said public support is being sought to identify those carrying guns in the streets, and a tip line has been set up: 1-877-TIPS-4-EC.

"There's a simple message to criminals," Hoffman said. "Get your guns off the street or we are taking you off the street."