More than 150 people were arrested during a three-day operation in Sacramento County as part of the sheriff’s gang unit’s ongoing efforts to dismantle gang activity, seizing guns and drugs in the process.The operation, called “Operation Street Sweeper,” focused on removing suspected gang members from the streets. “Think about the shootings in Sacramento and gun violence. We have a lot of gun violence here, and most of it’s perpetrated by gang members,” said Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper. “That’s why we have a gang unit, a very robust gang unit.”Detective Bill Hertoghe, who was part of the team cracking down on gang activity, reported significant results from the operation. “We were able to get 86 dangerous firearms off the streets. We ended up seizing a lot of narcotics, also. And over 150 arrests,” Hertoghe said.The operation involved more than 20 agencies, assisting with search warrants, vehicle stops, and surveillance. “We have areas that are known gang areas, and we focus on those areas as well as wherever the investigation took us,” Hertoghe explained.Sheriff Cooper highlighted the importance of maintaining the gang unit. “We are 11 months into this year, zero gang homicides in our jurisdiction. That makes a big difference,” Cooper said. “Why is that? Because of the gang enforcement, you can’t just turn a blind eye to it. You have to go out there and do that job.”Despite the success of the operation, detectives acknowledge that the fight against gangs is ongoing. “This operation is just a start to the whole ongoing issue here of the gang problem. And it’s something that we will continue to do and we will continue to fight against,” Hertoghe said.The sheriff’s office indicated that the majority of these arrests will likely result in felony charges.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
More than 150 people were arrested during a three-day operation in Sacramento County as part of the sheriff’s gang unit’s ongoing efforts to dismantle gang activity, seizing guns and drugs in the process.
The operation, called “Operation Street Sweeper,” focused on removing suspected gang members from the streets.
“Think about the shootings in Sacramento and gun violence. We have a lot of gun violence here, and most of it’s perpetrated by gang members,” said Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper. “That’s why we have a gang unit, a very robust gang unit.”
Detective Bill Hertoghe, who was part of the team cracking down on gang activity, reported significant results from the operation.
“We were able to get 86 dangerous firearms off the streets. We ended up seizing a lot of narcotics, also. And over 150 arrests,” Hertoghe said.
The operation involved more than 20 agencies, assisting with search warrants, vehicle stops, and surveillance.
“We have areas that are known gang areas, and we focus on those areas as well as wherever the investigation took us,” Hertoghe explained.
Sheriff Cooper highlighted the importance of maintaining the gang unit.
“We are 11 months into this year, zero gang homicides in our jurisdiction. That makes a big difference,” Cooper said. “Why is that? Because of the gang enforcement, you can’t just turn a blind eye to it. You have to go out there and do that job.”
Despite the success of the operation, detectives acknowledge that the fight against gangs is ongoing.
“This operation is just a start to the whole ongoing issue here of the gang problem. And it’s something that we will continue to do and we will continue to fight against,” Hertoghe said.
The sheriff’s office indicated that the majority of these arrests will likely result in felony charges.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel