Media

Saturation November 2, 2002

Release Date: November 2, 2002

The Shelby County Sheriff's Office in conjunction with the Memphis Police Department, Shelby County Attorney General's Office, along with FBI and ATF Agents conducted a massive crime suppression effort during the evening hours of November 1 and during the day on November 2 in Memphis.

Shelby County Sheriff Mark Luttrell says the multi-agency crime saturation event involving almost 100 law enforcement officers and deputies, concentrated primarily in the Binghampton area near Midtown Memphis.

The target neighborhood was chosen as a result of more than 40 gang related crimes in the area since January 2002. Saturation team members arrested 60 people. The two-day event involved several crime reduction initiatives being conducted at the same time.

• The targeted crimes were:
• Prostitution and their customers
• Buying, selling and possession of drugs
• Selling beer and alcohol to those under 21-years-of-age
• Seatbelt law and other traffic violations
• The apprehension of felons

The following is a listing of the 58 of arrests made during crime reduction effort:

• 12 Felonies
• 36 Misdemeanors, 14 involving the sale of beer to minors
• 12 Fugitive warrants

Regarding the traffic roadblock locations, 90 traffic citations were written. Also some small amounts of marijuana and cocaine were confiscated at the checkpoint locations.