UPDATE with Video: OPERATION CLEAN SWEEP By Dothan Police 103 Cases Made 31 Firearms Seized

Rickey Stokes

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Posted by: RStokes
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Date: Sep 21 2020 11:44 AM

DOTHAN:    11:05 AM    Dothan Police Chief Steve Parrish held a press conference this morning announcing the results of OPERATION CLEAN SWEEP.

Dothan Police Chief Steve Parrish directed Dothan Police Captain Will Glover to organize a operation, named as CLEAN SWEEP, to concentrate on the areas where crime stats reflect the most troubled areas.

Captain Glover assembled 30 officers from all divisions of the department. Glover also brought in Alabama Parole Officers, United States Federal Marshall's, ATF ( federal agents of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms ), DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) to assist in the operation.

These officers started Thursday evening and ran through Saturday evening. Chief Parrish announced this morning 72 individuals were arrested on 103 charges and Dothan Police took 31 firearms off the street.

Chief Parrish said the firearms seized will not be going back into the community. Those firearms will go through the condemnation process and destroyed, and some will be used in federal prosecutions. Some of the weapons were missing serial numbers.

Chief Parrish said it was his personal responsibility to safeguard the citizens of this community and the visitors. Chief Parrish said that is exactly what he means and he speaks for every member of this agency. Chief Parrish said he can not say enough good about the officers involved, the dispatchers who worked their tails off, the jail staff. 

This was a data driven enforcement plan based on crime analysis. From that data Dothan Police isolated parts of the city where they have had shots fired calls, shootings and created a sector patrol force. This was a proactive patrol force with one goal in mind and that was to reduce gun violence, get guns off the street and put offenders in jail.

Some of the arrests were for drugs, one was a Capital Murder suspect ( the second one ) from the South Lena Street murder, a robbery suspect. About $ 5,000 in cash, cocaine and meth was seized.

On Friday United States Federal Marshall Task Force started about 4 AM looking for suspects who had been running and hiding. Of the 10 they set out to apprehend 8 of them were taken into custody.

Chief Parrish said this is not the end of Clean Sweep. Chief Parrish refused to comment on future Operation Clean Sweep details. Chief Parrish said it is not over.

Almost every night calls of shots fired come in. This weekend there were no shots fired calls. That is because Dothan Police are getting the firearms off the street and saturating the area.

Chief Parrish means what he says. Every man and woman in the department means what Chief Parrish says. They will not tolerate gun violence in the City of Dothan.

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