Thread: AZ-210 arrested in E. Valley crime sweep

210 arrested in E. Valley crime sweep
by Jim Walsh - May. 24, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

East Valley police departments combined resources to arrest 210 suspects, including 86 known gang members, during a three-week crackdown that ended last week.

The crackdown, called Operation City Limits, was announced Friday.

"The bottom line is to take repeat offenders victimizing our communities off of our streets," Mesa Police Chief George Gascón said Friday about the sweep from April 30 to May 17. "It sends a message to all the bad guys that we're working together."

Gascón said Mesa crime statistics showed an immediate drop in the average number of crimes committed per week to the lowest point in 18 weeks.

Gascón described those arrested as violent offenders who posed a threat to the public and said it's "only a matter of shooting accuracy" between someone willing to use a gun to commit armed robbery and committing murder.

"This is about focusing our arrests on the people that matter," Gascón said, a reference to crime-suppression tactics being used by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. "This is not sweeping the streets and picking people up" for lesser offenses.

The suspects arrested in the crackdown are accused of crimes ranging from a drive-by shooting to a carjacking, in which a sawed-off shotgun was pointed at a driver's head, to drug offenses and an aggravated assault. In the latter case, a gang member is accused of pointing a gun at a family that happened to walk by during an argument between gang members.

Although Tempe Police Chief Tom Ryff said he is pleased with the results of the interdepartmental crackdown, it is important to realize that police are cooperating with each other daily to solve crimes, sharing information through the East Valley Fusion Center to identify gang members and crime trends.

"The bottom line is that we're practicing a 360-degree approach to crime prevention," Ryff said. "This is never- ending. This is the new way of doing business."

Ryff, Gascón and Chandler Police Chief Sherry Kiyler all said that a higher level of sophistication is necessary to arrest criminals who ignore city boundaries when committing crimes.

The Gilbert, Scottsdale and Gila River police also participated in the operation, along with the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Police also seized $10,000 in cash and about $100,000 worth of property, including two sawed-off shotguns, an AK-47 assault rifle and several semiautomatic handguns.

The arrests included 86 in Mesa, 81 in Tempe, 16 in Chandler, 8 in Gilbert, 10 in Scottsdale, and nine by DPS. The drugs seized included methamphetamine, cocaine and 700 pounds of marijuana.

Ryff said the importance of the cooperation goes well beyond numbers. He said it's important for gang members to fear apprehension from such focused crackdowns, just as drivers slow down because they fear photo-enforcement tickets for speeding.

"Some of it is not measured. How is it impacting the mind-set of criminals? How many crimes have we spoiled?" he said.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... t0524.html

"The bottom line is that we're practicing a 360-degree approach to crime prevention," Ryff said. "This is never- ending. This is the new way of doing business."

....I like the "new way of doing business"....it's as it should be! Thank you to this police department.

When the police ignore the average illegal alien, it just draws more illegal aliens, including gang members and criminals. So, just because they got bad guys off the street doesn't solve the problem. At least Sheriff Joe is putting fear into ALL of them, making it more likely that the remaining illegals in and around Phoenix, both gang members and your average illegal alien, will leave the area for fear of arrest.

Ostrich

if they are hiding in the shadows that mean they know they have broken the LAWS of the USA. They know it is wrong to be here.
We need to clean up here in Phoenix. Still the gang mambers here are dangerous. Sheriff Joe is DOING HIS JOB.
These people who are B__ching about JOE are soooooo full of it.
They need to uphold these laws. and if ILLEGALS dont like it and dont like what is happening then as I said BEFORE they can get the He double LL out.

if they are hiding in the shadows that mean they know they have broken the LAWS of the USA. They know it is wrong to be here.
We need to clean up here in Phoenix. Still the gang mambers here are dangerous. Sheriff Joe is DOING HIS JOB.
These people who are B__ching about JOE are soooooo full of it.
They need to uphold these laws. and if ILLEGALS dont like it and dont like what is happening then as I said BEFORE they can get the He double LL out.