Eastpoint, Fla (WMBB) — Franklin County Sheriff’s Office implemented Operation Clean Neighborhood Tuesday.
“The purpose is shutting down some of these places that are making neighborhoods bad because one house, one bad house, selling drugs and doing bad things makes the entire neighborhood bad,” Franklin County Sheriff A.J. Smith said.
As part of the initiative, the sheriff’s office now has a street crimes unit that consists of two deputies.
“The street crimes guys will be out working all the time. The supplemental deputies will come in at various occasions,” Smith said.
The unit focuses solely on working places the sheriff’s office deems to be problem areas.
“It’s usually just one place, like one mobile home, one house. And so we’re going to focus on those areas and put the resources where the problem is,” Smith said.
After just one night, Operation Clean neighborhood proved to be effective.
Officers arrested seven people, all of whom face drug-related charges.
“We got marijuana, cocaine, and paraphernalia,” Smith said. “A lot of assorted bags they had like their own. Some kind of green little plastic bag that had the devil on it that they were selling stuff in.”
With the street crime unit patrolling the streets around the clock, Sheriff A.J. Smith said he expects to continue seeing similar success.
“We are serious about cleaning up our neighborhoods, making them a safe place for kids and people to enjoy things,” Smith said. “You know, kids riding their bikes, having a picnic in your front yard, just doing what you expect to be able to do at your home.”
Sheriff Smith said he hopes Tuesday night’s operation will send a message to those breaking the law.
That message is, the sheriff’s office is serious about cleaning up the community.
