Warren police arrest more than 400 in biggest enforcement sweep in department history (2024)

It's the biggest law enforcement sweep in Warren police history.

Officers arrested 442 people from 49 cities across Michigan and three other states during a monthlong enforcement effort dubbed Operation PACT, or Preventing Acts of Community Tragedy.

Police Commissioner William Dwyer said Wednesday the effort netted:

  • 718 criminal charges.
  • 2,101 citations.
  • 68 firearms and 73 vehicles seized.
  • 24 stolen vehicles recovered.
  • 339 people with outstanding warrants arrested.

Dwyer said the sweep was to "focus on those crimes which impact the community's sense of safety, security and overall well-being. I felt it important that the department take proactive enforcement action at the start of summer so that the community understands that the Warren Police Department will not tolerate violent crime, gun crimes or property crimes.

Warren police arrest more than 400 in biggest enforcement sweep in department history (1)

"The Warren Police Department also took a proactive approach towards traffic enforcement, particularly in the residential areas," he said, adding that teams of 33 additional officers focused enforcement efforts on those suspected of committing criminal activity. "The results were, quite frankly, more astounding than anybody could have imagined."

'This is all about having safer neighborhoods'

Warren Mayor Jim Fouts said the sweep is "sending the message to would-be felons who might decide to cause problems in the neighborhoods that we aren't going to wait for you to break into someone's home. We're not gonna wait for you to do A, B or C. We're gonna be there right away. ... This is all about having safer neighborhoods.

"When we decide to do something, we're not gonna to wait for the crime to take place, we're gonna do it ahead of time. That way, we're gonna ensure that we know what’s going on in our neighborhoods more than the felons do."

Dwyer said those arrested ranged from 18 to 69 years old, as well as 17 juveniles, and many had prior felony convictions. They hailed from metro Detroit, as well as from as far as West Branch and Marquette, he said. A few examples of charges included carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a controlled substance, assault with intent to commit murder and home invasion.

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He said through the sweep, officers arrested a suspect accused of firing shots in the parking lot at Michigan Collegiate High School after an altercation; found a suspected chop shop operation in Detroit after officers pursued a stolen Dodge Durango in Warren, and arrested a pair suspected in robberies across Macomb County.

Lt. Matthew Dillenbeck also said officers arrested a man who was targeting and robbing vulnerable people, especially those who are elderly, in a handful of Facebook marketplace incidents in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.

Dwyer said more sweeps are expected in the city, which has not yet logged a homicide this year.

Warren police arrest more than 400 in biggest enforcement sweep in department history (2)

Police conduct sweep, deal with fallout of jail assault

Dwyer said there wasn't one complaint or injured officer or suspect during the sweep May 29 through June 23.

The operation was going on quietly while police publicly were dealing with the fallout of former Officer Matthew Rodriguez, who assaulted 19-year-old Jaquwan Smith, of Detroit, in the city jail June 13.

Rodriguez was terminated Monday. Smith filed a $50 million federal lawsuit against Rodriguez, the city and two unnamed officers Tuesday. Dwyer reiterated that the two officers who came into the booking area as Rodriguez attacked Smith tried to deescalate the situation and reported it to supervisors.

He said the lawsuit was "filed very quickly" and Smith sustained no injuries, though the lawsuit asserts that he did. Dwyer said the city retained its own attorney to respond to the lawsuit, and he would have no additional comment on it.

Biggest, but not only sweep

This isn’t the first time Dwyer has announced a large-scale law enforcement sweep spearheaded by his department. There were a handful within a year's time during 2019-20:

  • In September 2020, about 130 people were arrested in a three-plus week operation targeting gun violence and related crimes during Operation SNAG, or Saving Neighborhoods Against Guns. The campaign was organized in response to shootings, including the fatal shooting of a 10-year-old boy by his teenage cousin.
  • In January 2020, 50 fugitives were snagged in a five-day sweep by local, state and federal authorities in Operation Crucial Capture. Warren police’s Special Operations Unit partnered with other metro Detroit law enforcement agencies and the U.S. Marshals Service. The partnership between city police and the Marshals Service began in fall 2019.
  • In December 2019, 46 people were arrested in connection with a three-day human sex-trafficking and prostitution sting coined Operation Crusade II. Authorities found prostitutes being used to sell narcotics.
  • In September 2019, eight people were arrested in Operation Traffic Jam, when local and federal authorities executed 10 search warrants to dismantle a longtime drug organization.
  • In May 2019, nearly three dozen johns and prostitutes were hauled out of hotels and motels in the city during a three-day sweep during the first part of Operation Crusade.

Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.

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Warren police arrest more than 400 in biggest enforcement sweep in department history (2024)

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