05:26 PM CST on Monday, December 19, 2005

By Carolyn Campbell and Amy Tortolani / 11 News

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Houston’s top cop said the city’s streets are safer because of a new initiative between HPD officers and federal agents.

KHOU-TV

HPD Chief Harold Hurtt credits the six-month initiative with making streets safer but admits the job is not over.

Last week, Houston police officers arrested several gang members and confiscated dozens of weapons.

It was easy to see it was not an ordinary bust when police and federal agents moved in on the wanted suspects who at the time were carrying boxes filled with guns.

One of the gang members happened to be a suspect in a murder.

“It was very important that we be were very aggressive,” said Chief Harold Hurtt. “So we took a zero-tolerance approach in enforcement,” he said. “That is that if any crime was committed, the suspects or individuals we were looking for – they were immediately arrested.”

Several young men were picked up in the sting operation.

According to police Chief Harold Hurtt, violent crime has gone up in Houston.

But the chief also said more violent criminals have been taken off of the streets.

He credits a six-month partnership between HPD and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

HPD and ATF agents began working the streets of Southwest Houston in June. Since then 104 guns were recovered and 580 people were arrested, including 207 gang members.

“We want to get them off the streets then we want to work long term investigations to see where those guns come from,” said Donnie Carter, ATF. “This is a successful story. We’ve done it in 22 cities, and we know that it works.”

“One way that we can stop repeat offenders is to make sure that they’re not on the street and either in a county jail or state prison,” Chief Hurtt said.

He said the effort was primarily targeted in southwest Houston.

“We use surveillance of individuals in locations, vehicle checks,” Chief Hurtt said.

Just who are these violent offenders?

Sources within the police department said some of those arrested last week belong to a gang called La Tercera Crips. A third-generation and the oldest Latino gang in Houston.

Other arrests were Katrina evacuees.

“More gangs, more drugs and of course, we are beginning to see more involvement in violent offenses from the evacuees who came here from Louisiana -- four homicides at this time that we know of,” Chief Hurtt said.

The initiative also resulted in 19 federal cases being filed, but the chief said he knows the job is not done yet.

Chief Hurtt said other long-term initiatives are planned, and he wants apartment complexes to take more responsibility for fighting violent crime.

Investigators have not said where they are working right now, but said the mission to lock up violent offenders will continue.