2014-12-17

Here's the aftermath of another Kansas City area arrest warrant sweep that even offered a bit of codes violation crackdown (more on that later) as the holiday crook COWTOWN CRACKDOWN is seemingly in full swing . . .

Check it:

Operation Halo enforces on KC group members

A group enforcement action initiated Tuesday by the Kansas City No Violence Alliance (KC NoVA) has resulted in nearly 20 arrests and other law enforcement actions, including finding severe code violations at two properties associated with KC group members’ criminal activity.

As part of Operation Halo, Kansas City Police Department officers, members of the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, DART inspectors and other law enforcement officials focused Tuesday on members of two feuding Kansas City groups recently connected to violence, according to Major Joe McHale, project manager of KC NoVA.

Seventeen city and state arrest warrants were served Tuesday, as 20 residences were checked and two residences were found to have code violations that resulted in the residences being deemed as uninhabitable.

This was the second group enforcement initiated by KC NoVA this month. Earlier this month, a similar group enforcement action called Operation Ice Melt focused on group members in the Northeast area of Kansas City. It resulted in nearly 55 arrests, including 13 new criminal cases for drug possession and tampering, Resisting Arrest, Assault 1st Degree, Armed Criminal Action and Unlawful Use of a Weapon. Two criminal cases from Operation Ice Melt were also submitted to federal prosecutors and nine properties were closed and posted on Tuesday by Jackson County DART (Drug Abatement Response Team) because of numerous code violations that rendered the properties uninhabitable. Any illegal utility or cable hookups are also being investigated.

Group enforcements are a key focus of the KC NoVA effort to reduce violence in Kansas City. Members of groups associated with violence are told before any enforcement that KC NoVA can offer them services and other help. They are also warned that if anyone in their group is associated with violence, an enforcement action will result against all members of their group.

“They were offered anything we could do to help them choose a different path and to interrupt a cycle of violence,” said Major McHale. “Instead they or their friends chose violence.”

McHale noted that the goal of KC NoVA is to ensure swift and certain consequences for any person and their associates who fail to heed warnings to stay away from violence. The most important deterrence is demonstrating that consequences are certain to follow if you or someone in your group is associated with violence, McHale said.

Representatives of the community group, Mothers In Charge, also visited homes and messaged to residents during the Operation Halo enforcement on Tuesday. They encouraged them to work with community leaders and law enforcement to reduce violence in our community.

Rosilyn Temple of Mothers In Charge told reporters that the enforcement should send a clear message that KC NoVA and its community partners will respond to violence against children. “No mother deserves to have to bury a child,” Temple said. “This is about taking back control of our community.”

KC NoVA is a collaboration of law enforcement and community leaders, including Police Chief Darryl Forte’, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker; Mayor Sly James; U.S. Attorney Tammy Dickinson; UMKC Chancellor Leo Morton; Greg Gant, Special Agent in Charge of ATF; Mike Kaste, SAC of FBI; and Brent Morris, regional administrator for Missouri Probation & Parole. KC NoVA targets reductions in violent crime in Kansas City, especially homicides.
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