The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
Police popped out of cars, vans and box trucks in coordinated raids on several suspected drug locations in Norfolk and Chesapeake on Thursday afternoon.
During Operation Street-sweeper, police targeted street-level drug sales in neighborhoods that included Norfolk's Park Place, Berkley and Campostella.
The raids, which involved about 140 officers from state, federal and local agencies, began shortly after noon.
Uniformed police stopped traffic on Granby Street. Officers hit the Kappatal Cuts barbershop in a plaza between 27th and 28th streets. A court document filed Thursday says several informants detailed sales of cocaine, heroin and marijuana there by barbers and others.
They also searched five Norfolk homes, including one on West 28th Street that is a stone's throw from Kappatal Cuts. Officers sought 29 drug suspects in Norfolk alone, and executed six search warrants.
In both cities, officers sought suspects indicted by grand juries.
By early evening, 10 Norfolk drug suspects had been picked up, and an additional six people had been arrested, said Officer Chris Amos, a Norfolk police spokesman. He stressed that the numbers were preliminary. Police recovered some drugs worth less than $1,000, he said. The operation was still under way, he said.
No information on Chesapeake's arrests was available, Amos said. Police have scheduled a news conference for 10 a.m. today to discuss the raids.
Thursday's arrests capped a month of drug buys by two undercover officers, said Capt. David B. Huffman, commander of Norfolk's Vice and Narcotics Division.
The suspects included a suspected gang member who thought he was meeting somebody to trade cocaine for an AK-47 assault rifle, police said. He was taken into custody, Amos said.
The raids kicked off in Norfolk after a briefing with about 140 officers and agents at the city's fire training center. Police from Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Chesapeake; State Police; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and prosecutors were there.
Norfolk police Chief Bruce P. Marquis told the group that residents don't deserve to have people "creating havoc."
"Let's clear the streets of these people; let's get them out of our neighborhoods," he said.
Matthew Roy, (757) 446-2540, matthew.roy@pilotonline.com
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Georges
I live in Chesapeake, & remember this story as first written mentioned the South Norfolk area in Chesapeake. No other information was given other than that though. I have also been looking for additional info on the Chesapeake aspect of this story. I was hoping it would be reported after the news conference. If it was on TV I missed it there as well.
I still don't understand
In Norfolk specific location were mentioned, but in Chesapeake the report mentioned nothing except the city in general. Why is that? The drug problem in Norfolk is no greater than surrounding Hampton Roads cities. I want to hear specifics!
I did live there
I am disgusted by the waste of a city with so much potential. I have watched cities not located on the water near international shipping ports, without the military economic engine bypass Norfolk as if Norfolk were somewhere in mid Louisiana. It's why I point it out. Instead of living in an area in apathy try doing something about it. Raise heck with your council when they use tax dollars foolishly. Get stomping mad when you see open crime and an understaffed underfunded police department while giving millions of your tax dollars to private for profit businesses who have wooed your local government. Stating the crime rates for the inner city (city limit of roughly 400K inhabitants) of another area may make you feel good but won't improve the facts. I'm 10 minutes from downtown and in an area that has some of the lowest crime rates in the NATION. Look it up. Yeah, it's why I took my skills, disposable income, taxes, community involvement, and fled to a more desireable area. Which is what Norfolk needs to wake up and see. Businesses need people.
contractova
Point well taken, thanks!
The Greener Grass of The Ivory Tower City..lol
Source Atlanta Police Dept. Crime mapping feature. Cant run the last 24 hours, but here is the tally for one month ago today (24 hour period.) for the Ivory Tower City. They don't include hookers, discarded needles or condoms in this report however.
04/11/08
Homicide (2)
Robbery (8)
Agg. Assault (10)
Res. Burglary (18)
Non-Res. Burglary (3)
Larceny (9)
Vehicle Larceny (24)
Auto Theft (23)
Total Crime Count 97
I've never heard gun fire
I've NEVER heard gun fire out of my window, and never had a violent crime around my Norfolk home. In my 20's and 30's I've live in any number of states and even abroad, but I kept coming back to Norfolk, not because my family was here but because I saw potential. I remember OV as the slums it had turned into, I remember the amusement park with sailors and hooker everywhere, I remember the street walkers and, open drug activity, and wouldn't drive or go to the area at that time. To say, that OV has not improved over the years is not only ill-informed, but ridiculus, and I question the validity of so called credentials. I'm not a fan of a number of Norfolk plans or elected officials, but the grass is never greener on the other side. My objective is to work for reform and improvements that I feel are important. I'm a retired successful businessman. Yes, it's easy to sit back in your ivory tower and blast Norfolk, but it's something else to live here and work for improvements.
Mmm..
Interesting theory but....wasn't raised in Norfolk thank gosh. Bullies, not that I recall. Parents together 60 years. Mmmm...what could it be...what could it be? Have lived a whole lot of places, various geographies, and liked most but have the common sense to not live in a slum. Have worked with gov. officials in many roles regarding public infrastructure over the years and made a dang good living at it. Was actually invited to VA to do the same. Have enough sense to recognize bad goverment practices as well and to voice an educated opinion. Some may not like that and lash out....as children will. Actually, I did leave. I voted with my feet as many former Norfolk residents have. Might explain why just over a year ago Norfolk was losing population at the fastest rate in the nation. Lots of bad childhoods out there. I don't hear gunfire out of my window tonite.
But of course
Norfolk is the pits and where some people live is Heaven. If I disliked Norfolk as badly as some I'd sell my property and never return, but perhaps the problem is deeper. Bad childhood, school bullies, parents not always there, any number of emotions can hit hard and equate to a geographical area. Hey, what do I know, I happen to like my home, neighbors, and friends in Norfolk, and I'm not originally from here.
Didn't have to look for the thorns
If 48 is young then I am young. Was a long time resident of Norfolk until I fled due to tiring of inept government, exponentially increasing taxes, and low quality of life. I still own a personal home in Norfolk. Wasn't looking for thorns. Could not avoid them. Was looking for progress. Saw some cheaply constructed new structures in the midst of a drug area. The article today about progress downtown is hilarious. Norfolk is not bucking any trend. It has been left behind. Fraim needs to get out more. Look at Raleigh, Charlotte, Nashville, Asheville, Atlanta, Myrtle Beach, Jacksonville, FL, on and on and on. There is so much development going in tax unassisted in these cities that it is hard to fathom. Was in Charlotte last week doing some consulting. The blight rail there was budgeted at around $230M. There were over $200M in overruns. You read right. Over budget by over $200M! Local taxes have to make up the difference. All over the radio, news, and conversation on the street. Politicians all pointing fingers at each other. People are MAD. Similar to the fiasco in St Louis. Only budgeting 5% for overruns is fiscialy irresponsible. The other issue you hear is noise. These things
RE: Ocean View Not Mentioned
There are throns in every rose garden, and you went out looking only for the thorns. Yes OV still has problems, but as a resident, I can tell you first hand a great deal has been done in the area. Some of the places you mentioned are already scheduled to be torn down. You must be very young or a non-resident not to see the changes made in OV. I guess your neighborhood is perfect.