“Operation Preventative Strike” yields 46 arrests – taking the bad guys off the streets in effort to reduce victimization this holiday season.

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott announced today that a partnership with the United States Marshals Service, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, South Carolina Probation Pardon and Parole, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Department, the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Department, the Newberry County Sheriff’s Department and the Camden Police Department has successfully taken 46 bad guys off the streets.

With the holiday shopping season in full swing, law enforcement in the Midlands have been working, for the past several weeks, to identify and locate those individuals that were wanted for crimes particular to the holiday season – armed robbery and burglary. The Sheriff stated that the purpose of “Operation Preventative Strike” was to identify those individuals wanted for crimes that normally increase over the holiday season. This collective effort was a pre-emptive strike, by area law enforcement, to reduce your chances of becoming a victim this holiday season.

Normally during the holidays most law enforcement agencies can see as much as a 40% increase in crime from other times of the year. In addition, nationally law enforcement believes that 10% of the offenders are committing 60% of the crimes. With these percentages in mind law enforcement believed that placing a special effort on arresting those wanted for the holiday specific crimes would yield a reduction on crime over this holiday season. Sheriff Lott stated that law enforcement will not rest until those that would victimize our citizens are held responsible -- fugitives should take notice that you will be found and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Collectively the agencies involved in this operation work diligently, together 365 days a year as part of the United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force in locating and apprehending violent offenders. United States Marshal Kelvin Washington stated that working together is extremely important when it comes to making our communities safer. The Marshal added that this operation is another example of law enforcement’s commitment to our citizens and also to the bad guys; that they can run but they cannot hide.