By Elaine Aradillas
The Orlando Sentinel
OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — For three nights last month, Osceola County deputy sheriffs were doing more than making dozens of arrests. They were sending a message.
Suspected criminals were being watched and noted as law-enforcement officers saturated well-known crime areas across the county as part of the Zero Tolerance Operation, a program started in January 2006.
“The operation is important because not only does it reduce criminal activity, but it helps law enforcement gather intelligence information, which assists in solving cases,” said Sheriff Bob Hansell.
In a three-day period starting Oct. 29, deputies from a spectrum of departments made 83 arrests, delivered 239 citations and issued 21 warnings.
On Halloween night, there were fewer arrests than the previous two nights of the operation that focused on Buenaventura Lakes and the western part of the county. But as deputies patrolled Poinciana on Halloween night, their presence was obvious.
Lt. Mark Thompson, who spearheaded the operation from the West Side office in Poinciana, said interviews were conducted with each arrest to provide a snapshot of crime trends in each of the areas.
“It’s not just about the arrest,” he said. “A lot of these people have valuable information about other crimes in the area.”
Last month’s operation was the fifth time in two years that deputies swarmed an area. It costs $2,000 to pay for additional dispatchers, officials said. But the dozens of additional officers brought in for the operation are reassigned for the night and do not cost extra.
Detective Ronny Barretto from the gang unit used the operation to reconnect with known gang members and learn about new members, he said.
He and his partner, Detective Albert Vazquez, spotted a Haitian gang gathered outside a modest home at Bradford Court and Monterey Road. They are 15 to 17 years old, Barretto said, and for now, they’re still participating in “kid stuff.”
“They were walking around looking for trouble,” he said. Barretto and Vazquez agree that the operation helps them collect information about the people they cover.
From top to bottom at the Sheriff’s Office, they say the community has embraced their heavy presence on unsuspecting days when they launch the operation.
Hansell said he hasn’t heard of any complaints. In fact, he said, he would authorize more operations if they had the staffing and resources.
One evening, when Lt. Thompson pulled over at a neighborhood gas station to clean the windshield of his unmarked vehicle, a resident in a white Ford truck stopped and thanked Thompson for his work.
Thompson beamed as he got back into his car. He said it’s unexpected moments like those that make his job worthwhile and the operation successful.
“It makes an impact on day-to-day incidents,” he said. “It has a lasting effect.”
Copyright 2007 Orlando Sentinel