Tacoma — Officers across multiple Pierce County districts conducted crime-emphasis operations over the past few days, ending in over 40 arrests.
On Feb. 23, Washington State Trooper John Dattilo posted on X, formerly known as Twitter that troopers and officers from Lakewood Police, Puyallup Police, and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department and some with the city of Sumner came together on “an all-crimes emphasis operation.”
Datillo told the News Tribune the operation took place Feb. 15 and 16.
The State Patrol uses funding from the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission to have extra officers out on overtime to conduct such operations, he said. He couldn’t say what the other agencies did for their officers.
Datillo said troopers typically focus on a specific area. The recent operation targeted state routes 167, 410 and 512, including the interchange near Puyallup.
“It was essentially a five mile radius around that area,” he said.
Troopers arrested 21 people on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to the post. They also made two arrests for reckless driving.
The rest of the encounters consisted of citations given for 191 drivers caught speeding, 58 people not wearing seat belts, and 35 people who were on their cellphone while driving.
Five stolen cars were also recovered during the operation.
This was not the first operation of its kind, Datillo said. WSP did another last year focusing on the Fife and Tacoma area.
Datillo said the State Patrol plans a similar operation for sometime in March, but didn’t disclose the location.
Across the Narrows Bridge, Gig Harbor police focused on a specific shoplifting operation on Feb. 14 and 15. They partnered with PCSD.
“Throughout the two-day operation, plain clothes and uniformed law enforcement officials made over 20 arrests and conducted numerous contacts involving adults and juveniles to deter other potential thefts,” GHPD posted on Facebook.
They encountered a repeat offender during the operation and arrested him for “new felony crimes,” they said.
“This individual, already wanted on multiple warrants, including four counts of retail theft, three counts of second-degree burglary, one count of trespassing, and one count of obstructing a law enforcement officer, has been booked into the Pierce County Jail,” according to the GHPD post.
Also during the operation, GHPD recovered “an illegally carried firearm,” the post said.
GHPD said they plan to run similar operations in the future.
