fair warning...

In response to a rise in gun violence during the past month, the Greenville Police Department last night implemented a Violence Reduction Plan in targeted neighborhoods.

This plan involves both short-term, high intensity patrol & enforcement efforts and long-term strategic investigative efforts.  The short term solution is intended to suppress criminal activity immediately.  It began on Thursday night and will continue around the clock through the next several weeks.  During this phase,  patrol officers will be stationed in the targeted neighborhoods and will be aggressively patrolling and conducting field interviews and enforcement.

The long-term investigative strategy involves the use of local, state, and federal resources and will focus on organized crime, gun, and drug case investigations with the hopeful outcome being federal prosecution and conviction.   These types of cases are long-term, but they produce permanent and substantial results.

Last night, patrol officers in the targeted neighborhood of Westgate stopped 9 people and completed field interviews and citations on them.  One of those persons stopped was a convicted murderer.

Violence reduction strategies are not just about solving one crime, but also about preventing others.  Putting officers on the ground where violence occurs and where analysis predicts it will occur, sends a message to would-be offenders:  The Police are coming after you, and you will be held accountable.