SB gang sweep

SAN BERNARDINO -- Police conducted a gang sweep on the streets of San Bernardino Thursday afternoon that netted multiple arrests for various gang-related, narcotics and probation offenses.

About 40 members from the San Bernardino police, San Bernardino County Sheriff's and probation departments swarmed several locations throughout San Bernardino where crime rates have been unusually high.

The San Bernardino police gang unit, known as San Bernardino Movement Against Street Hoodlums (SMASH) began its operation in the 1100 block of Mayfield Drive, just south of Base Line.

Residents were taken by surprise, but weren't phased when the swarm of police patrol cars took over their neighborhood.

Authorities identified several men and women affiliated with local street gangs by their tattoos as well as their criminal history.

One undercover detective said areas that are poverty-stricken, such as the one on Mayfield, are breeding grounds for gang and drug activity.

"We are out here continuously responding to fights, shot's fired calls and drug problems," said San Bernardino police SMASH Sgt. Dan Gomez. "This is the response that happens in order to get the ones causing the problems off the street. "

One San Bernardino police officer said that even though police resources are stretched, the SMASH unit is still working the streets, trying everything in their power to keep residents safe from street thugs.

Although police can't confirm if any of the 11 homicides this year were gang-related, they did say many other violent crimes can be attributed to street gangs.

"They have their hands in everything from burglary and carjackings to trafficking of prostitutes, drugs and guns," said Sgt. Gary Robertson.

During a traffic stop just two block's east of the Mayfield Drive sweep, in front of a home with a white picket fence, police arrested three men, one of whom allegedly had a vial of the illegal drug known as Phencyclidine (PCP).

As detectives were searching the man for weapons the vial of liquid PCP fell from the man's possession.

Violence is the final outcome in the world of drugs and gangs, according to FBI statistics.

Out of the 47 homicide victims in the city in 2012, six were positively gang-related and 18 of the motives are still unclear, according to police officials.

San Bernardino County ranked third in the nation behind Los Angeles and Cook County, Ill., for gang-member population, according to the FBI's 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment, which was released in June 2012.

San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos supported the efforts of the SMASH units throughout the county.

"We refuse to back down in our fight against gangs in San Bernardino County," Ramos said. "The people in our gang units are fully committed to running the gangs out of this county. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I will not allow these criminal street gangs to run our streets. Not on my watch. "

http://photos.sbsun.com/2013/04/smash-units-target-gangs-guns-and-probation-violators-in-sweep-of-downtown-san-bernardino/

LOL at them having a picture gallery from the sweeps and only showing kneegrows. I see some east siders in there.

Damn i aint even c the gallery, this shit look like it was targeting TGC.