Brockton, State Police arrest 33 in Operation Fall Cleanup sweep
BROCKTON — In the second "zero tolerance" operation of its kind this year, state and city law enforcement agencies from numerous divisions worked together to target criminal activity in the city of Brockton on Monday. It resulted in 33 arrests and eight criminal summonses, according to a Massachusetts State Police.
The multi-agency sweep — dubbed Operation Fall Cleanup by those involved, as it was intended to target “quality-of-life issues in Brockton" — was conducted by the Brockton Police Department, Massachusetts State Police, Massachusetts Environmental Police and the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department.
"We want our pedestrians and the motoring public to be safe while using our streets," Brockton Police Chief Brenda Perez said in a written statement.. "Increasing our police presence on the roads is one way to ensure their safety."
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To assist officers on the ground, a Massachusetts State Police helicopter alerted patrols to negligent and reckless drivers in cars, trucks and recreational vehicles like scooters and dirt bikes.
State Police said one person was charged with shining an "ultra-bright" flashlight to thwart the helicopter’s efforts to provide overwatch support.
In addition to citing traffic violations, officers made five narcotics arrests, including an intent to distribute a Class B narcotic.
Police said they nabbed a suspect with arrest warrants for drug trafficking after he initially provided a false name and identification card when questioned by officers but was correctly identified after being fingerprinted.
“The City of Brockton has zero tolerance for anyone or anything that threatens the safety or quality-of-life of our residents, business owners, and visitors,” Mayor Robert F. Sullivan said in the statement. “We thank the Massachusetts State Police, the Massachusetts Environmental Police, and the Plymouth County Sheriff's Department for partnering with the Brockton Police Department on this successful law enforcement operation.”
Numerous State Police divisions were involved in the operation, including the State Police Community Action Team, Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section, Gang Unit, High-Risk Victims Unit, Commonwealth Interstate Narcotics Reduction and Enforcement Team and the State Police Detective Unit for Plymouth County and Traffic Programs Section.
Brockton’s own police divisions involved included the Detective Bureau, the Patrol Division, the Traffic Enforcement and Control Unit, as well as Brockton Emergency Management Agency.
Operation Fall Cleanup follows on the heels of Operation Hot August Nights, another joint state and city police operation that took place in August.
More on 'Operation Hot August Nights': Police arrest 35 in Brockton
Operation Hot August resulted in nine arrests of people who had warrants, including one for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and another for armed robbery while masked.
An additional 22 people were arrested for motor vehicle violations, including one for a fourth offense operating under the influence of alcohol.
Police said they also made several narcotics arrests during the operation, including one for fentanyl possession.
Enterprise staff writer Amelia Stern can be reached by email at astern@enterprisenews.com.
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Operation Fall Cleanup: Brockton, State Police arrest 33 in sweep
