TOLEDO, Ohio — The Toledo Police Department and United States Marshals Service made over 100 arrests in a two-month operation targeting gun violence and gang activity in the city.
Operation Triple Beam wrapped up last week. The collaborative effort focused on taking violent fugitives and gang members off the streets with an emphasis on violent crime, habitual offenders, and gun and drug seizures.
Final operation statistics break down like this:
Arrests: 127
Narcotics seized: 253 grams ($150,000 worth)
Firearms seized: 78
Individuals charged with felonies: 122
According to Toledo police, there was a "large drop" in shots fired incidents during the operation. There were 85 ShotSpotter incidents recorded during the two-month period, down from 185 during the same period in 2021.
Toledo Police Chief George Kral said he conceived the plan while talking with the U.S. Marshal's Office about initiatives aimed at curbing violent crime.
"71 homicides last year," said Chief Kral, "Our crime rate not only increased in the city of Toledo, but throughout the country it skyrocketed last year and I was determined to not let that happen again."
The chief said authorities used data to determine the best places to deploy officers throughout the city.
"I am very proud of the results of this TPD and U.S. Marshals Service joint violent crime prevention initiative," Kral said. "We will continue to work diligently to control violent crime, specifically gun crime, in Toledo. I hope our residents appreciate the level of commitment their officers have and how dedicated they are to keeping them safe. I look forward to continuing to work with our state, county, and federal law enforcement partners in the future."
Other agencies who assisted in the effort were the Lucas County Sheriff's Office, FBI, U.S. Attorney's Office, ATF, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Lucas County Prosecutor's Office.
"This operation was the first major crime prevention operation funded by the USMS in Toledo in several years," said Pete Elliott, U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Ohio. "The results speak for themselves. It made Toledo a safer place to live, work and play. I couldn’t be prouder of the hard work of our fugitive task force, the Toledo Police and our law enforcement partners. We are committed to taking violent offenders off the streets and hope the residents of Toledo feel the security we strive to provide them.”
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of these fugitives is asked to call the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 1-866-4-WANTED or text keyword "WANTED" to 847411. You can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.
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