SCV Sheriff’s Station launches special team

Six-member squad returns and will remain active for 5 months

The Summer Crime Enforcement Team at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, that vowed to pursue a “zero tolerance” crime policy, and kept its word making arrests and seizing weapons, is back.

The four-man specialty team that carried out successful monthly back-to-back patrols in targeted crime areas last summer is now a sixmember squad.

“This week, the station launched the 2018 Summer Crime Enforcement Team, and it will remain deployed for the next five months,” Shirley Miller, spokeswoman for the SCV Sheriff’s Station.

The team, comprised of one sergeant and five deputies, will be exclusively tasked with providing residents in the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County with additional patrol resources during the summer months, she said.

Their mission is to prevent crime by stopping it before it occurs.

Last summer, Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Crime Enforcement Team—also known as the Summer Suppression Team—was responsible for making significant arrests, recovering firearms and conducting regular parole/probation operations.

These additional resources not only increase patrol visibility, but also allow deputies to spend more time with residents learning about community priorities, Miller said.

When the team first ventured out onto the streets last summer, their impact was felt immediately, according to officials.

When the specialty team turned its attention last week to disarming the SCV, it came away with a bag of confiscated weapons.

“They were successful in getting dangerous weapons off the streets,” Miller reported last year, noting the team “made numerous arrests for drugs including methamphetamine, marijuana and heroin.”

In June 2017, Sgt. Brandon Barclay and the “Summer (Suppression) Patrol” Team issued more than 70 citations for misdemeanor offences in addition to arrests.