(Fort Myers, FL: February 1, 2012) - The Fort Myers Police Department is cracking down on people who illegally carry firearms. Undercover vice and uniformed patrol removed 37-guns from city streets for the month of January. Operation Safe Neighborhood is a proactive approach to reduce crime and improve quality of life in the City of Fort Myers. A task force assigned to the operation works to identify and arrest people that commit violent crimes and to arrest individuals who illegally possess firearms. In addition to gun interdiction the directed patrols have had positive results:
- 1034 Citizen Contacts
- 262 Traffic Stops
- 175 Traffic Tickets
- 63 Arrests
- 55 Felony Charges
Chief Doug Baker unveiled the operation to community leaders in 2008 and says the anticrime effort couldn’t be possible without a partnership with the community. “The unit is enhanced by intelligence information from concerned citizens and informants. Tipsters can remain anonymous. Every illegal gun taken off our streets is one less gun that can be used against an innocent citizen, gun down an officer or carelessly end up in the hands of a child.” A total of 1,314 guns have been removed from City streets since the effort began in 2008.