Multi-Agency Gang Sweep Results in 22 arrests and Guns Taken Off the Streets
On 09-19-12, members of the Hemet/San Jacinto Gang Task Force, the San Jacinto Police Department Special Enforcement Team, Hemet Police Department, California Highway Patrol, and additional Riverside County Regional Gang Task Force teams conducted a gang saturation operation in the Hemet/San Jacinto Valley.
Approximately 30 law enforcement officers participated in this event. Officers conducted high visibility saturation patrol in areas frequented by gang members. Officers also conducted predetermined probation and parole compliance checks targeting documented gang members.
22 subjects were arrested for various offenses including weapons and drug possession. Four firearms and over 20 grams of methamphetamine were recovered during the operation. All of the firearms were found in the possession of documented gang members. The arrests were made in the City of Hemet, City of San Jacinto, and the unincorporated area of Hemet.
The Hemet/San Jacinto Gang Task Force has been in existence since April 2006. The Law Enforcement Agencies within “The Valley” have been working together since this time on a daily basis. The Hemet/San Jacinto Gang Task Force is comprised of members from the Hemet Police Department, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, San Jacinto Police Department, Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, Riverside County Probation Department, and the California Highway Patrol. The Hemet/San Jacinto Gang Task Force operates in the Cities of Hemet and San Jacinto and the unincorporated areas of Hemet. The law enforcement leadership within the valley meets regularly and coordinates the Hemet/San Jacinto Gang Task Force activities. Since the formation of the task force, leadership has recognized the importance of working together to provide the highest level of service for the citizens within the Hemet/San Jacinto Valley.
Chief Dave Brown with the Hemet Police Department said "This is another great example of our well-established law enforcement partnerships. We are committed to sharing resources and personnel for the greater good of the community. The gang task force model works and we will continue to make it miserable for gangs to operate in this Valley. "
Captain Scot Collins, Commander of the Hemet Sheriff’s Station and Chairman of the Hemet/San Jacinto Regional Gang Task Force said “As the chair of the Hemet/San Jacinto Valley Gang Task Force, I am extremely proud of the performance of this team. This type of regional law enforcement effort continues to take gang members off our streets and make our valley safer for everyone.”
Lieutenant Sue Trevino, Chief of the San Jacinto Police Department, said “The Hemet/San Jacinto Valley Gang Task Force demonstrates that law enforcement within the Hemet/San Jacinto Valley has been working together as one team for years. This extraordinary cooperation is vital to public safety within the valley."
The Hemet/San Jacinto Gang Task Force is one of eight teams composing the entire Riverside County Regional Gang Task Force, which is a collaborative effort of 25 law enforcement agencies with the goal of combating criminal street gangs.