Sheriff’s crime sweep targets gangs
A crime sweep began Friday in the West Valley neighborhood where a Maricopa County detention officer was gunned down in August, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the sweep is in response to the shooting death of the detention officer, Jorge Vargas, who was killed outside his home.
The two-day operation, aimed at suppressing gang activity from Camelback Road to the Salt River and from 43rd Av- enue to Litchfield Road, began at 5 p.m.
It comes after a U.S. District Court ruling found that MCSOimmigration-enforcement efforts violated the constitutional rights of thousands of Latinos.
The sweep was scheduled immediately after Vargas’ death but was delayed because of new operational standards mandated by the court ruling, Arpaio said. He said he delayed this operation to make sure it “meets with the standards mandated by a new court ruling.”
The ruling ordered the Sheriff’s Office to include cameras in every deputy’s car and increase data collection and re- porting.
The order further required the department to establish a community advisory board and allow a court-appointed monitor to ensure that the agency is taking steps to prevent discrimination.
Arpaio said Friday that the latest operation complies with the court ruling and that his department is working with deputies to follow the proper procedures.
Authorities said Vargas was working on his truck in the driveway of his west Phoenix home before leaving for work early Aug. 8 when Leonard Moreno, 15, approached the officer while walking home from a party. Investigators said they believe that Moreno was intoxicated and that he pulled out a gun and fatally shot Vargas for gang recognition.
Moreno pleaded not guilty to shooting Vargas and faces a trial in adult court.
“You don’t willfully kill a law-enforcement officer without repercussions,” Arpaio said.
More than 150 deputies, volunteer posse members and reserves were taking part in the effort to locate residents with weapons violations, drug offenses and felony warrants in the area.