Pubdate: Sat, 16 Oct 2004 Source: Virgin Islands Daily News, The (VI) Copyright: 2004 Virgin Islands Daily News Contact: http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3486 Author: Megan Poinski JOINT ASSAULT ON ST. THOMAS CRIME YIELDS ARRESTS, DRUGS AND WEAPONS ST. THOMAS - In the last week, a coalition of local and federal law enforcement agents led by the V.I. Police Department made eight arrests and took $25,000 worth of illegal drugs, four firearms, 18 knives and a nightstick off the streets. In the wake of a recent surge in violent crime on St. Thomas, the Police Department joined forces with federal and local agents assigned to the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Marshals to increase enforcement across the island, Territorial Chief Novelle Francis Jr. said. Federal and local officers, plus the Police Department's St. Croix-based Street Enforcement Team, spent the last week patrolling high-crime areas, going to areas where high crime has erupted, and setting up traffic checkpoints where all vehicles passing a certain point are searched for contraband, Francis said. Neither he nor other police administrators would say where the patrols, seizures of drugs, and arrests took place, saying the investigation is ongoing. Housing communities are some of the areas of concern, Francis said. The drugs - 1,678 grams of marijuana, 64 grams of crack cocaine and 50 grams of powder cocaine - and weapons collected in the initiative were spread out on a large table in a conference room at a press conference at HIDTA headquarters Friday morning. "This is the result of some of the homicides, the violent crimes, that have been plaguing our community," Police Commissioner Elton Lewis said. "I would like to indicate to those breaking the laws that we will not tolerate your behavior anymore." Lewis and other administrators did not say how many law enforcement officers were involved in the initiative. Lewis called it a "grand collaboration." Funding for this initiative - much of which takes place at night and requires overtime pay - comes out of the Project Safe Neighborhoods fund, Francis said. He did not know the final cost because the initiative is ongoing. Lewis said the federal agencies are contributing "resources" but did not elaborate on what that meant. The contraband and arrests announced Friday were only from St. Thomas, but Lewis and Francis said this initiative extends to St. Croix and St. John. Officials would not comment on any arrests or seizures on the other islands as a part of the initiative, or where efforts would be concentrated on other islands. "This initiative is ongoing and territory wide," Francis said. "We are looking forward to receiving community support. We ask people to call police and indicate any trouble spots." - --- MAP posted-by: Derek