SACRAMENTO - U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott, Chief Deputy Lasha Boyden and Chief Inspector Bert Tapia of the U.S. Marshals Service, and Stockton Police Chief Eric Jones announced a U.S. Marshals Service-led operation to reduce violence in Stockton.
Operation Take Back aimed to provide the city of Stockton with immediate relief from the increasing rate of violent crime. After 21 days of focused effort, Operation Take Back concluded on August 30th, targeting and arresting violent fugitives, gang members and criminal offenders who have committed crimes such as homicide, shooting into dwellings, felony assault, sexual assault, illegal possession of firearms, illegal drug distribution, and robbery.
As a result of a request from the Stockton Police Department for assistance from federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, Operation Take Back was conducted in coordination with the U.S. Marshals Service, the Stockton Police Department, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and the San Joaquin County Probation Department.
Operation Take Back resulted in 101 arrests, including 42 identified gang members. In addition, law enforcement officers seized 19 firearms and 3,500 rounds of ammunition, 25 marijuana plants, 5 pounds of packaged marijuana, and other illegal drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin.
U.S. Attorney Scott stated: “This focused effort removed violent offenders from the streets of Stockton. Local and federal law enforcement partnerships such as Operation Take Back are essential to making our communities safe and sending the message that gangs will not be tolerated in Stockton.”
“These types of operations are vital to maintaining the safety of the very communities within which we live and work. The ability of local, state and federal law enforcement to work together in tracking down these fugitives is vital to the peace and stability of our communities,” said Bert Tapia, Chief Inspector for the United States Marshals Service.
Chief Jones stated: “During the month of May we experienced an increase in violent crime, specifically shootings and homicides. This was very concerning to us and that is why we reached out to our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners. With the help of the additional resources that the U.S. Marshals Service brought to Stockton, we were able to make key arrests on those who were actively involved in street violence and were able to remove numerous firearms off the streets. We would like to thank the U.S. Marshals Service for helping us bring back a sense of safety to those neighborhoods that were affected by violent crime.”
Each local, state and federal agency utilized their individual specialized enforcement techniques and statutory authority in order to disrupt and destabilize the organized criminal operations of violent street gangs and career
