Attorney General Sessions speaks in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - Attorney General Jeff Sessions spent his morning here in Philadelphia - speaking to thousands of law enforcement officers from across the country at an annual meeting and conference held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

Outside, protesters perched themselves along the perimeter of the building hoping their voices will also be heard. Extra police patrolled the streets to prevent problems.

These protesters want to see a change in policing. Sessions says that will happen in the months and years ahead. He's here pushing the President's agenda to cut down violent crime by re-establishing and tweaking the project Safe Neighborhoods program originally created in 2001.

"The President physical 2018 budget requested $70 million dollars in locally controlled grant funding to build on and expand the PSN initiative," said Sessions in his speech.

US Attorneys' offices nationwide will act as the glue to unite several community stakeholders like police, politicians and non-profit organizations.

Sessions stated, "Our goal is not fill up the courts or just fill up prisons. Our goal is not to manage crime or merely to punish crime. Our goal is to reduce crime."

As an added push, Attorney General Sessions says in the coming months, the Department of Justice will award more than $100 million in grants to state and local law enforcement agencies to hire more police officers.