EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — A multi-agency operation headed by the Phoenix Police Department led to the arrests of hundreds of violent felons earlier this month.
Dubbed Operation Summer Shield, the effort ran from June 5-9 in the Phoenix area, and according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whose Homeland Security Investigations agency participated, more than 580 arrests, over 420 of which were for felonies, were made.
Law enforcement officials also made numerous drug seizures, including nearly 520,000 fentanyl pills and more than 5 pounds of methamphetamine, and they confiscated more than 40 weapons from individuals prohibited from carrying them.
“The city of Phoenix is safer than it was just one week ago because of Operation Summer Shield,” said Phoenix Interim Police Chief Michael Sullivan. “[…] That plan focuses on going after the small percentage of people committing the majority of crime. Operation Summer Shield did exactly that. We targeted the most violent people with outstanding warrants and prohibited possessors.”
Investigators said although it was only a five-day operation, the planning and coordination took several weeks and involved officials meeting with partners, identifying internal resources, and using data-driven intelligence to perform records checks on violent offenders with felony warrants, the ICE release said.
The following agencies played a role in Operation Summer Shield:
- Homeland Security Investigations
- Maricopa County Attorney’s Office
- Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office
- Arizona Department of Public Safety
- United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona
- Phoenix Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigations
- Phoenix field office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives
- Phoenix Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration
- U.S. Marshals of the District of Arizona
“There is no doubt that when law enforcement agencies work together, the community benefits. Case in point: Operation Summer Shield,” said HSI Arizona Special Agent Scott Brown. “With over 400 people arrested, including over 200 for felonies ranging from weapons violations to violent crimes, this collaborative effort has impacted the unfortunate rising trend of violent crimes. HSI is fully committed to using every resource available at its disposal to support our community and our law enforcement partners in the effort to reverse this trend.”
The ICE release said that more than 230 of those arrested had criminal histories that included violence, and 16 absconders of the Department of Corrections were located and brought back to prison. The operation cleared four homicide cases and close to 700 active warrants.
