By Kristi E. Swartz
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ATLANTA — A series of high-profile home invasions, burglaries and robberies led to a weeklong Atlanta police sweep that brought 246 arrests — and put 100 convicted felons back in custody.
The department’s gang unit, auto theft task force and other specialized teams were mobilized, setting up traffic safety checkpoints and flooding high-crime areas in the city for seven days, starting Dec. 7, Atlanta police spokesman Carlos Campos said.
“To remove that many felons off of Atlanta’s streets through a cooperative effort is remarkable,” Atlanta Police Chief George Turner said.
The Nov. 22 shooting death of a man in front of a Virginia-Highland apartment was the most visible of several recent crimes that initiated this particular police response.
Charles Boyer, 39, was killed after he and his girlfriend exited a vehicle, were confronted by armed men and tried to escape.
Officers worked with authorities from the Georgia Department of Corrections and the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole to arrest people who had violated their probation or parole, Campos said.
Using electronic crime maps, officers turned up in areas high in auto thefts, burglaries and other crimes.
“We brought all these different discretionary units to bear,” Campos said. “Over the seven-day period, they brought all their expertise in, and certainly that helps to laser-focus our efforts.”
Crime, particularly involving property, typically increases during the holidays, police said.
“So you couple that with the recent string of high-profile incidents, and we certainly wanted to make a concentrated effort to increase public safety on the streets,” Campos said.
Investigators weren’t clear whether the sweep arrests helped them capture the men recently responsible for the most brazen crimes, but said that wouldn’t diminish the sweep success.
“I can assure you our investigators are working overtime to investigate what we believe are a series of crimes, and we believe we’re making very good progress,” Campos said.
Copyright 2010 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution