Little Rock residents fed up with a recent surge in violent crime got a message Monday from local, state and federal authorities: "We hear you."
More than 60 arrests of some of the most sought-after suspects in Little Rock were made in the past week as part of a multi-agency effort to get violent offenders off the streets, and more arrests are on the way in the coming weeks, officials said. During a news conference Monday, acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan Ross and Little Rock Police Chief Keith Humphrey outlined the sweep -- dubbed "Operation Ceasefire" -- as well as its origins and its long-term goals.
A news release from the U.S. attorney's office said the operation was conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI's Gang Enforcement Task Force and its participating agencies: the Little Rock Police Department, the Arkansas State Police, the North Little Rock Police Department, the Arkansas Division of Community Correction, the Pine Bluff Police Department, and the Arkansas Air National Guard Counter Drug Unit.
Ross said that beginning June 7 and continuing through last week, "Law enforcement identified the most violent targets in the Little Rock area, focusing on individuals who had active warrants for their arrests." He said the Marshals Service, the Little Rock Police Department and the Gang Enforcement Task Force -- known as GETROCK -- combined resources to identify, locate and arrest 61 wanted individuals in the Little Rock area during last week's crackdown.
"Those arrested were wanted for crimes including capital murder, rape, aggravated assault, battery, terroristic acts, aggravated robbery, and various drug and other charges," Ross said.
Ross said the 61 people were charged with a total of 78 felonies and 27 misdemeanors, adding that during last week's arrests, police seized 12 firearms and more than $16,000 in cash that was associated with criminal activity. He said that federal, state and local authorities worked together to identify the 10 most wanted suspects of violent crimes in Little Rock and hit the streets in an effort to locate them.
"The task force led by the U.S. Marshals was able to arrest nine of the top 10 last Wednesday in the first four hours after this operation began," Ross said, adding that the arrests last week were the culmination of efforts that began in March with a call from Humphrey in which the police chief "asked for help and support in making sure the federal law enforcement partnership with the city of Little Rock was as effective as it possibly could be."
Humphrey said that community engagement is vital if the effort, which will continue throughout the summer, is to succeed in reducing violence.
"We recognize that we have some really, really bad people in this city," Humphrey said. "We talk about the reactive part of it, but let me kind of explain the proactive part of Operation Ceasefire."
Humphrey said a town hall-style meeting held last week at Arkansas Baptist College was part of an effort to obtain feedback from residents and to educate them on what law enforcement authorities are trying to accomplish.
"Our main focus was to assure the community that we heard everything they were saying," he said, "that we are aware of what is going on in the city, that our city is a vibrant one, that we are listening to everything that they say and we want to take what they say and the initiatives of our Police Department and ... our federal partners to address these issues."
Humphrey said the meeting last week drew about 50 people. He said additional town hall-style meetings will be held on a quarterly basis around the city.
In addition, he said, he and other officials, police officers and volunteers spent part of Saturday walking through three downtown neighborhoods, talking to residents and asking them to take the "Peacekeeper Pledge."
"We walked through neighborhoods and knocked on doors," he said. "We had quite a few citizens take a pledge of nonviolence, that they are going to help us be the safest city in the nation."
Humphrey said that to reduce violence would require a "four-pronged approach," addressing violent crime through a cooperative effort by the public, law enforcement authorities, the judiciary and corrections officials. He said bringing those elements together in a long-term effort would bring about positive results.
He said last week's arrests were intended to send a message to violent criminals preying on the city.
"We're coming," he said. "We're not going to ease up. If you are a violent person in this city, or criminal in this city, we're going to get you."
Humphrey said the recent arrests are part of an ongoing effort to address violent crime in the city, an effort that he said has met with some success.
"In the past six months, we've arrested more than 200, nearly 300 individuals, and taken more than 400 guns off the street," he said. "So this is an ongoing effort by our department. But if it weren't for the local, state and federal partners we have, we wouldn't be able to do this."