During a three day operation, Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies and undercover detectives conducted a county-wide proactive initiative that focused on repeat offenders, drug offenders, offenders on probation and followed up on crime tips and crime trends.
Deputies served 15 search warrants, made numerous citizen contacts, and arrested 101 suspects.
Most of these suspects, 92 of them, are repeat offenders, with a total of 955 prior arrests and more than 1,500 criminal charges.
Deputies and detectives were able to seizze $13,378, six firearms, one vehicle, more than two pounds of marijuana, over three ounces of methamphetamine and 45.1 grams of hydrocodone.
Police charged the 101 suspects arrested with a total of 325 charges which includes 180 felonies, 145 misdemeanors, 32 outstanding warrants for 32 felonies and 17 misdemeanors, 5 warrants from other jurisdictions and one fugitive from justice.
Nine of those arrested were currently on probation, and received a violation of probation charge in addition to other charges. More than a dozen arrested had active warrants for violating probation.
According to the police report, 40 of the suspects were receiving public assistance at the time of their arrest, and 32 out of the 101 have been to prison before.
The investigation ran for three days, and focused the Auburndale, Winter Haven, Lake Wales, Eloise, Frostprood and Lakeland areas of Polk County.
The initiative was part of the agency's "Proactive Community Attack on Problems", or "PROCAP" program, that involves gathering daily crime data, analyzing trends in the data, and delivering that information to supervisors and deputies.
“Proactive Community Attack on Problems, or PROCAP, is an essential element in fighting crime in Polk County,” said Sheriff Grady Judd. "One of the philosophies of PROCAP is that the person who commits relatively minor public order crimes or who violates traffic laws can be the same person who stole something earlier that day, or is in possession of illegal narcotics," said Sheriff Judd. "We routinely conduct initiatives like these so that the community knows there is always a law enforcement presence out there, keeping them safe."
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Search warrants served at these locations:
1. 108 6th street, Eloise
2. 2320 Moccasin Drive, Lakeland
3. 11216 Ponderosa Drive, Lakeland
4. 9 Lantana Road, Frostproof
5. 10 Lantana Road, Frostproof
6. 55 Monroe Street, Frostproof
7. 5101 Transport Road, Bartow
8. 1011 Carefree Cove, Winter Haven
9. 1132 Carefree Cove, Winter Haven
10. 1098 Carefree Cove, Winter Haven
11. 113 Harbor Drive, Winter Haven
12. 1721 Quail Trail, Lakeland
13. 3065 St. Paul Drive, Winter Haven
14. 2605 Jungle Street #10, Lakeland
15. 23700 Hwy 27 South, Room 8, Lake Wales