"Operation Smackdown" huge victory, 84 arrests

[Heretic.Ape.]

http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n745/a03.html?1042
'HUGE VICTORY' IN YORK'S DRUG WAR AS POLICE MAKE 84 ARRESTS

Camacho...says police held off on arrests to keep drug dealers in the dark.

Police say they put the smackdown on York City's street-level drug dealers and their customers during a two-month investigation that involved 11 police agencies and more than 50 officers.

"Operation Smackdown" recently wrapped up -- for now -- and culminated in 84 arrests for felony and misdemeanor drug offenses.

"We'll take the big guys, we'll take the little guys," York County District Attorney Stan Rebert said at a press conference yesterday.

Many of the arrests resulted from the complaints of city residents who were afraid to even sit on their porches because of crime in their neighborhoods, he said.

"This is a huge victory for the City of York," said U.S. Marshal Michael Regan, who participated in the operation, as well as "a big step" in making the city's streets safer.

Springettsbury Township Police Chief David Eshbach said it's not only the city that will benefit from the operation.

"This was also a huge victory for the county of York," he said, because crime doesn't respect municipal boundaries.

"One arrest at a time, day by day, we'll keep at it," Eshbach said.

The operation: Lt. Ron Camacho, who supervises the city's detective bureau and Major Crime Unit, said undercover officers bought drugs from dealers throughout the city, but held off on making arrests so other dealers didn't get wise to the operation.

Officers gave special attention to the 600 block of West Princess Street and the intersections of South Pine and Poplar streets and South Pine and Princess streets, he said.

"We conducted many search warrants, which led to more drugs and more money," he said.

Officers also targeted drug buyers, Camacho said. Police chose an area known for its drug sales ( he wouldn't say where ), then rousted all the dealers, had an undercover officer act as a drug dealer, and arrested the people who tried to buy from him, Camacho said.

Local, federal funds: The operation was funded by the York County Drug Task force and by funds from Project Safe Neighborhood. Regan, the U.S. marshal, said the project funds police overtime.

Last year, Project Safe Neighborhood gave York City more than $60,000, said Regan, adding this year's figure will likely be even higher.

During Operation Smackdown, a state police trooper acting as a buyer was robbed but unhurt.

"He was in an alley and one guy pulled a gun on him," said first assistant district attorney Bill Graff.

And officers involved in the operation were also instrumental in the arrest of Shane Liggins, 18, of Springettsbury Township, now charged with the March 7 homicide of Edward "Roi" Harrison, 25, of Wallace Street.

Camacho said detectives were looking for Liggins, but it was undercover "smackdown" officers who spotted and arrested him.

More arrests coming: York City Detective First Class Andrew Shaffer, who also serves on the county Drug Task Force, said police have another 18 to 20 arrests to make for dealers targeted during Operation Smackdown.

In addition to the arrests, police seized 63 grams of cocaine worth $6,300; 1,536 grams of marijuana worth $15,360; and 75 grams of heroin worth $22,500; as well as $11,153 in cash, 12 vehicles and several firearms, Camacho said.

Assisting York City Police were state police, the U.S. Marshal's Service, the York County Drug Task Force, county detectives, the Attorney General's Office, West York Police, York Area Regional Police, Northeastern Regional Police, Springettsbury Township Police, Fairview Township Police and the office of District Judge Ronald J. Haskell Jr., as well as the city's Nuisance Abatement Division, Major Crime Unit and the anti-gang USA Squad.

[JDreaming]

I used to visit New York throughout the 80s and early 90s, and it was one of the most comfortable and culturally diverse places I knew. People of different classes and moral backgrounds- from drug addicted street people, to straight-edge businessmen, to businessmen who were secretly psychonauts... all managed to somehow get along. It seems like since Giuliani moved in however many years ago, it's rapidly become a creepy, conservatized dream world. First all the bums and street people dissapeared off to jails or somewhere, because yuppies didn't want to look at them. Now New York City- of all places- wants to send the message that it is to be a pot free city, and will not tolerate anyone who wants to be different from that ideal.

I say if it's not safe to smoke a joint with your friends in Central Park by the John Lennon memorial, then the New York I know is dead.

[Nacumen]

Originally Posted by heretic.ape.

Police chose an area known for its drug sales ( he wouldn't say where ), then rousted all the dealers, had an undercover officer act as a drug dealer, and arrested the people who tried to buy from him, Camacho said.

So, the US government has agents go out into the streets to lure people to buy drugs, then arrests these people once they have convinced them to buy the drugs which they are selling?

Wouldn't it suck if you were just curious about drugs, then an undercover government agent talked you into buying some and turned around and sent your ass to jail?

[Orchid_Suspiria]

A huge victory?A victory for those that hate the ideas of personal freedom,choice,and human liberty.

[Shiacmkmleer]

Wait wait wait ... Kids it's time for a math lesson
Step one. Adjust numbers to be real price for drugs marijuana isnt 10 dollars a gram... when you buy by the ounce SWIS figures 100 dollars for 28 grams=3.6 dollars a gram. * 1536 grams=5530 dollars. Now SWIS doesn't know that much about coke but according to the price calculator the average price per gram is 50 dollars not 100 so thats 3150 dollars. heroine (china white and “For injecting”) is about 81 dollars a gram*75=6075 dollars now add in the 11k in cash they found...
this gives us a grand total of 25755 (I did round a bit the real number is really close to this)
So we took a total of 25755 dollars of drugs and drug money off the street. Now look at how much time we put into this. “
Police say they put the smackdown on York City's street-level drug dealers and their customers during a two-month investigation that involved 11 police agencies and more than 50 officers.”
Two months... fifty officers... for 25755 dollars... now in the NYPD entry level cops make 25100 a year plus benefits... but is you've worked there for five years... you get 60 k plus benefits.
In addition

1 in 6 uniformed members of the NYPD are Detectives. A Detective’s (3rd Grade) average earning is
$100,000* (Promotion to Detective is not based on a promotional exam, it’s based on merit)

• 1 in 7 uniformed members of the NYPD are Sergeants. A Sergeant’s average earning is $100,000*
• 1 in 20 uniformed members of the NYPD are Lieutenants. A Lieutenant’s average earning is $122,000*

http://www.nypd2.org/html/recruit/salary.html
Jesus!
Keep in mind we used 100 officer months to pull this off or 8.3 officer years... So assuming they were all lowest level cops thats more than 200000 dollars in police pay. And thats assuming they were all lowest level. It could easily be more than half a million dollars... all to get less than 15k dollars of drugs off the street (and 11k of money that the dealers were using and if it's anything like in my day that money was going to A get them selves those drugs so it's redundant or B feed their kids in which case they need that money)


And thats just the economics of it... the morality of it would be an even longer post.

[Felonious Skunk]

Just a head's up guys:

York City is a teeny town in PA. This article ain't about NYC.

[JDreaming]

Really?!? Well that just invalidates my whole rant! Me and missing the little details that really matter in an article...

But thanks for pointing out the truth.

[Felonious Skunk]

^^^^ No worries, JD. I live in NYC and everything you said is true...

[voodoo child]

Originally Posted by Felonious Skunk

Just a head's up guys:

York City is a teeny town in PA. This article ain't about NYC.

That actually makes it worse to me. The thought of a large-scale drug bust taking place in a city like New York, Los Angeles, Miami, etc. is depressing, but almost expected. But to do a sting operation like this in a small town? Who were they busting, high school kids?