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By Jim Carney
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 10:39 p.m. EDT, Apr 21, 2008
Authorities arrested 177 people during a four-day period last week in a major sweep to collect guns and curb violence across the city of Akron.
During the Gun Violence Reduction Sweep, police confiscated three guns, one knife, one stolen auto, 199.2 grams of crack cocaine, 5.4 grams of powdered cocaine, 224 grams of marijuana and .3 grams of heroin.
Authorities also collected more than 100 prescription pills that can be abused, including medicines for pain (Oxycodone) and attention-deficit disorder (Ritalin).
Those arrested were charged with 56 felonies, 264 misdemeanors, 19 felony warrants, 109 misdemeanor warrants, seven driving-under-the-influence charges and 321 motor vehicle and traffic citations, police said.
The sweeps took place nightly Wednesday through Saturday. Akron police worked with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Summit County Sheriff, the University of Akron Police, the U.S. Marshals Service's Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force, the Ohio Department of Public Safety and the the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Ohio Department of Public Safety.
Between 80 and 100 officers worked each night on the effort, in which police stopped cars for traffic violations. In addition, undercover officers identified suspicious behavior in targeted neighborhoods and some bars, said Akron Police Captain Sylvia Trundle, the commander of the Akron unit that took part in the sweep.
''This was a real team effort,'' said Trundle.
A command center was set up in the city of Akron garage on East Market Street. An Ohio State Highway patrol helicopter assisted police every night.
Although only three guns were confiscated, Trundle said the four-day sweep was a success.
''People have made comments about, 'Where are all the guns?' '' Trundle said. ''Unfortunately, people don't put placards on their vehicle that say, ' Gun on board.' ''
She said officers targeted people in high crime areas who ''are the ones most likely carrying hand guns.''
Units swept all areas but concentrated most of the efforts in ''hot spots'' on the city's west side, the Tallmadge/Cuyahoga Falls Avenue district and the central and east side of the city, said Akron Police Sgt. Eric Paull, who specializes in planning and research for the police department.
He said police developed those hot spot maps based on where crimes have occurred, actual calls for service to the police and citizen complaints.
''It was really data-driven,'' he said.
He said the sweep was funded through nearly $1 million in federal crime reduction grants. About $35,000 in overtime was spent and paid for with grant money.
Officials at Kent State University will study the arrest reports and statistics and determine the impact on crime reduction, Paull said.
Akron Police Lt. Charles Brown, community relations/cops commander, said it will be difficult to ever truly know the impact of the arrests because that is the nature of crime prevention.
''You don't know what you prevented,'' he said.
Trundle said authorities went back to the same areas every night.
She said police not only collected photos of some ''possible suspects'' but in one case identified a possible suspect in recent area armed robberies.
One person was arrested after a police chase and 176 grams of crack cocaine was confiscated, Trundle said.
In another case, a person was stopped for a missing front license plate and then ran out of the car and hid in a basement.
When the suspect was apprehended by a state patrol trooper, he was holding a handgun in his hand. The suspect dropped the gun when asked, she said.
Akron police and several police agencies will participate in smaller-scale sweeps, without the assistance of the Ohio State Highway patrol, several times a month throughout the spring and summer, Trundle said.
Trundle said the police action lets the public ''know we are trying to improve the safety of their neighborhoods so people feel safe.''
Authorities arrested 177 people during a four-day period last week in a major sweep to collect guns and curb violence across the city of Akron.
During the Gun Violence Reduction Sweep, police confiscated three guns, one knife, one stolen auto, 199.2 grams of crack cocaine, 5.4 grams of powdered cocaine, 224 grams of marijuana and .3 grams of heroin.
Authorities also collected more than 100 prescription pills that can be abused, including medicines for pain (Oxycodone) and attention-deficit disorder (Ritalin).
Those arrested were charged with 56 felonies, 264 misdemeanors, 19 felony warrants, 109 misdemeanor warrants, seven driving-under-the-influence charges and 321 motor vehicle and traffic citations, police said.
The sweeps took place nightly Wednesday through Saturday. Akron police worked with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Summit County Sheriff, the University of Akron Police, the U.S. Marshals Service's Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force, the Ohio Department of Public Safety and the the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Ohio Department of Public Safety.
Between 80 and 100 officers worked each night on the effort, in which police stopped cars for traffic violations. In addition, undercover officers identified suspicious behavior in targeted neighborhoods and some bars, said Akron Police Captain Sylvia Trundle, the commander of the Akron unit that took part in the sweep.
''This was a real team effort,'' said Trundle.
A command center was set up in the city of Akron garage on East Market Street. An Ohio State Highway patrol helicopter assisted police every night.
Although only three guns were confiscated, Trundle said the four-day sweep was a success.
''People have made comments about, 'Where are all the guns?' '' Trundle said. ''Unfortunately, people don't put placards on their vehicle that say, ' Gun on board.' ''
She said officers targeted people in high crime areas who ''are the ones most likely carrying hand guns.''
Units swept all areas but concentrated most of the efforts in ''hot spots'' on the city's west side, the Tallmadge/Cuyahoga Falls Avenue district and the central and east side of the city, said Akron Police Sgt. Eric Paull, who specializes in planning and research for the police department.
He said police developed those hot spot maps based on where crimes have occurred, actual calls for service to the police and citizen complaints.
''It was really data-driven,'' he said.
He said the sweep was funded through nearly $1 million in federal crime reduction grants. About $35,000 in overtime was spent and paid for with grant money.
Officials at Kent State University will study the arrest reports and statistics and determine the impact on crime reduction, Paull said.
Akron Police Lt. Charles Brown, community relations/cops commander, said it will be difficult to ever truly know the impact of the arrests because that is the nature of crime prevention.
''You don't know what you prevented,'' he said.
Trundle said authorities went back to the same areas every night.
She said police not only collected photos of some ''possible suspects'' but in one case identified a possible suspect in recent area armed robberies.
One person was arrested after a police chase and 176 grams of crack cocaine was confiscated, Trundle said.
In another case, a person was stopped for a missing front license plate and then ran out of the car and hid in a basement.
When the suspect was apprehended by a state patrol trooper, he was holding a handgun in his hand. The suspect dropped the gun when asked, she said.
Akron police and several police agencies will participate in smaller-scale sweeps, without the assistance of the Ohio State Highway patrol, several times a month throughout the spring and summer, Trundle said.
Trundle said the police action lets the public ''know we are trying to improve the safety of their neighborhoods so people feel safe.''
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