"Over 150 Arrested in Atlanta Crime Sweep" - great news (Franklin: attorney, house)

[HeavenSoldier]

Just read an article that over 150 were arrested as part of a crime sweep that took place Friday in Atlanta. Wow, all those arrests in that small amount of time, the police definetly need to continue this sweep. Great job atlanta PD!

Here is the article where you can read it

Over 150 Arrested In Metro Atlanta Crime Sweep - News Story - WSB Atlanta
or

Over 150 Arrested in Atlanta Crime Sweep: Top News Stories at Officer.com

[Merin]

I am not trying to be Debbie Downer, but I wonder how many of them were released immediately. I have spoken to cops, who have expressed a lot of frustration with the judges in Fulton County. Criminals don't even run from them because they know they will be back on the streets in an hour. This is why the Courtwatch people are so active.

[atlantagreg30127]

It's unfortunately that such a "sweep" was only conducted once the media turned up the heat a large bit on Franklin and Pennington, though. While 120+ officers are to be added to the payroll by January, the APD is still nearly 800 officers short of a full staff, and this doesn't include the recent layoffs of some officers due to recent police records of their own: AJC: 26 Atlanta Police Officers Listed As Suspended - News Story - WSB Atlanta

This current sweep focuses on the harsh areas intown but also includes closer suburban areas and agencies as well. There's still a lot more to do, though: DeKalb Teacher Shot, Carjacked - News Story - WSB Atlanta

I guess regardless of the fact it's only being done due to bad PR press, it's still being done on some level and some criminals ARE being taken off the streets, regardless. As said above though, there's still lots more to do. Hopefully the next City administration will make these sweeps a regular thing until the bad elements decide Atlanta isn't worth the hassle anymore and move on someplace else.

[nb1968]

Well then keep up the bad PR press, because this is a good start. The thugs are not ashamed of what they do. Maybe we can shame the Police and elected Officials into doing MORE ! ! !
Perhaps the media can publish the sentencing records of judges and we can figure out which ones are liberals who coddle criminals and VOTE them OUT, . . . and re-elect only the ones who give out harsh sentences and show no mercy to punks.
And when the jails get full, follow the Arapaio (Phoenix) example and house them in tent cities, and make them work on chain gangs to earn a baloney sandwich.
NO LENIENCY FOR THUGS !!

[reet4587]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

It's unfortunately that such a "sweep" was only conducted once the media turned up the heat a large bit on Franklin and Pennington, though.

The AJC article reports that "APD officials insisted the region-wide sweeps were planned months ago and were unrelated to a new, aggressive crime-fighting initiative announced Thursday."

Crime sweep nets 159*| ajc.com

These sweeps are a great idea. I remember reading about the previous one in May of this year (Police join forces for metro Atlanta crime sweep*| ajc.com) and thinking that this seems like the kind of innovation that the Atlanta area can use in crime fighting.

[StPaulEastSider]

I just hope these arrests were legit... I cringe at the thought of upstanding citizens being caught up in these sweeps - especially when the number of arrests are fed to the press in a PR stunt. I'd much rather see day-in, day-out policing done competently in an environment where there is no rush to post raw arrest numbers.

This again makes me wonder if our 'urban pioneer' idea is a good idea, I'd hate to see my husband caught up in a massive round up such as this because he happens to 'look like a suspect'... he's been there done that.

My husband once spent 30 hours in a county holding cell because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time - and no doubt because he's the wrong skin color. And my husband was just going about his business that time, he was arrested at his bank, just so the police could make a show of arresting someone, because the bank teller THOUGHT he looked like a guy who'd passed a stolen check the week before... they had that other guy's name because of a fingerprint match on the stolen check, and my husband had his ID on him, but since the bank had called the police the cops had to make a 'show' of making an arrest. It was late afternoon on a Friday, if we hadn't known an attorney with enough of an insider connection to call in a favor from a judge, my husband would have spent three nights, rather than 30 hour, in that holding cell. When the corrections officer was processing the release he said to my husband 'You must know someone pretty important!" My concern is for the innocent guy who does not have any connections... how many innocent men are going to go down in this show of force?

Guess what? My husband still, to this day, has that arrest on his record. He was asked about it in a job interview for a Fortune500 company 2 years ago.

While I want to see the thugs off the streets as much as the next guy, a big show of force with mass arrests in a "sweep" concerns me greatly. This is NOT competent policing.

[cityrover]

they just arrested ppl with records. you need to look at court convictions, not midnless arrests. this is just pr stunt

[StPaulEastSider]

Originally Posted by Merin

I am not trying to be Debbie Downer, but I wonder how many of them were released immediately. I have spoken to cops, who have expressed a lot of frustration with the judges in Fulton County. Criminals don't even run from them because they know they will be back on the streets in an hour. This is why the Courtwatch people are so active.

The other side of this coin also needs to be considered - does the arrest even have a leg to stand upon?

For example, a close reading of Massachsett's laws SPECIFICALLY negated any claim to legitamacy in the Gates arrest, and explains why charges were never filed against Prof. Gates.

Police officers who make invalid arrests - arrests which cannot stand up to charges being filed - do more PR harm than good in the communities the purport to serve.

If judges in Fulton County are releasing arrested individuals quickly, with no charges filed, I tend to ask why these individuals were arrested in the first place.

[youngMichaelJackson]

Most if not all of these people netted in this sweep are probably out on bond; signature bond at that as of this morning. Of those only about 50% of these will even go to trail, and of that 50% a good number of thoses cases will be thrown out. Nonetheless a good PR stunt for Shirley and the APD

[marysm1th]

Thanks for posting that, I wasn't familiar with this crime "sweep."