April Hunt
Sentinel Staff Writer
ORLANDO, Fla. — A three-week crackdown on crime earlier this month yielded 234 arrests - 120 of them felonies - in the Parramore neighborhood of Orlando.
Police Chief Michael McCoy and Mayor Buddy Dyer announced the results of Operation Delta, an initiative to reduce drug and violent crime, at a news conference this morning.
The back drop of the stage included a montage of mug shots from those arrested, most of which do not live in the neighborhood. More photos could be added, since the crackdown has no end date set.
“Everyone knows there is a persistent problem in Parramore, for people to come in and buy drugs, pick up a prostitute or to sell drugs,” McCoy said. “We know the good people in Parramore are pretty sick of it. The best thing we can do for Parramore is to get the drug thugs off the corners.”
Police assembled the best police officers from around the city - with specialties in undercover work, neighborhood patrols, drug crimes and others - and put them into teams that blanketed the area between Orange Blossom Trail and Hughey Avenue and Colonial Drive and Robinson Street.
Starting Oct. 1, the teams began gathering intelligence and conducting undercover drug buys. In just 16 days, the undercover agents from OPD and the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation made 32 drug buys from 19 different dealers, said Police Capt. Larry Zwieg.
The arrest round-up began Oct. 18. By Sunday, the teams began the “maintenance” phase, which involves keeping pressure on criminals with random undercover work and more patrols.
That continued effort, rather than a quick sweep, will make the difference to residents who must begin to trust the police for long-term improvement, said Pastor Charles Jackson.
From his pulpit at Hurst Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church on Bentley Street, Jackson said he has already observed changes such as seeing six patrol cars in just minutes.
“Anything that is consistent, repetitious, you gain relationships. When you have relationships, you develop trust,” Jackson said. “If we are going to continue to change for the better, we have to use that trust.”
McCoy also called for lobbying efforts, so that repeat offenders have a harder time in posting bond to spring from jail once they are arrested. About half of those arrested last week have already been released from Orange County Jail, he said.
Among those who remained in jail today, though, were Freeman Brown and James Jones.
Police first arrested Brown, 45, in 1980. He had a total of 35 arrests and 10 separate felony convictions when officers charged him with possession of drug paraphernalia and destruction of evidence.
Jones, 28, has never been to prison. But he has 26 arrests and has served jail time on charges ranging from possession of cocaine to resisting arrest with violence. He remains in jail on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
“This operation needs to stay in place until we change the face of that community,” said Deputy Chief Val Demings. “It’s a small element going into a vulnerable community, wreaking havoc. The citizens of Parramore deserve us stepping in to make sure they are safe from that.”
Copyright 2007 The Orlando Sentinel