Officers from the Los Angeles and Burbank police departments made 21 felony arrests in a joint effort called Operation Blue Knights II, according to a Tuesday announcement.
A sergeant with the Burbank Police Department said the operation was set into motion early last Thursday morning, with the end result of 21 felony arrests for various charges: narcotics violations, identity theft, restraining order violations and more. Officers also made four misdemeanor arrests and carried out flash incarcerations for people who had been released under the Post-Release Community Supervision program and violated the terms of their post-release supervision. (Flash incarceration is a term of detention in county jail that may last from 1 to 10 consecutive days, for violations of post-release supervision).
This is the second such operation carried out by the Los Angeles and Burbank police departments. The first, Operation Blue Knights, established an ongoing partnership between the LAPD North Hollywood Area and the Burbank Police Department to address auto-related property crimes in these areas. Burbank and North Hollywood, though they had experienced reductions in violent crimes and other property crimes, were still experiencing high levels of auto-related property crimes. Operation Blue Knights was initiated on May 9, 2014 in a two phase process:
- First, a "Lock It, Hide It, Keep It" flyer campaign was carried out in and around North Hollywood to educate motorists on the importance of hiding valuables they leave locked in their cars. Businesses in the area were also asked to display signs, and a YouTube public information video was also posted to show motorists how vulnerable their property is if left in plain sight in their vehicles.
- Second, LAPD and Burbank PD officers blanketed the areas along the North Hollywood and Burbank border, "conducting crime suppression with a zero tolerance policy," according to a LAPD news release on the subject.
May's Operation Blue Knights yielded 13 felony arrests and the recovery of 2 firearms.
Challenging Crime Sweep Arrests
When law enforcement agencies work together to organize crime sweeps, DUI task forces and similar operations, they are working to deal a serious blow to offenders in the area. If resulting arrests and criminal charges are not warranted or carried out "by the book," however, arrestees and defendants may have solid grounds for an effective defense. A skilled criminal defense lawyer can look over the circumstances of the operation and arrest to determine whether any civil rights violations occurred or whether the defendant's constitutional rights were jeopardized in any way.
Illegal searches, police brutality, failures to read Miranda warnings and various other types of misconduct or rights violations may help a defense attorney have key evidence excluded from court or have charges dismissed altogether.
At Lessem & Newstat, we offer aggressive criminal defense counsel throughout the greater Los Angeles area. If you would like to discuss an arrest, investigation or charges, please do not hesitate to call our offices for a confidential case review. Every case is different, so it is important to get our insight as it applies to your unique situation.
