While not many Killeen arrests may have came out of an 11-day police operation targeting gangs, drugs, weapons and guns in Central Texas, law enforcement agencies were able to seize more that 200 pounds of marijuana from Killeen streets, according to data released Friday.
The Killeen Police Department accounted for 5.5% of the 250 arrests made during “Operation Washout 2.0” — an operation involving multiple law enforcement agencies from Bell, McLennan, and Coryell counties, according to data obtained by the Herald. The data provided Texas Department of Public Safety also showed KPD seized 211.9 pounds of marijuana of the total 227.42 pounds confiscated by law enforcement agencies during the whole operation.
Operation Washout 2.0 took place between Jan. 24 and Feb. 3 with the help of the United States Marshals Service Lone Star Fugitive Task Force, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, McLennan County Sheriff’s office, Coryell County Sheriff’s office, Killeen Police Department, Waco Police Department and DPS.
During the 11 days, according to a release from DPS, 201 people were arrested on felony charges and another 49 on misdemeanors — including 28 gang members.
A press conference publicizing the operation was held on Feb. 9 in Waco featuring representatives from the area law enforcement agencies including KPD Chief Charles Kimble.
Kimble was forthcoming during the news conference telling area media outlets about the wide-ranging impact of Killeen’s “gang problem.”
“We’ve seen violence, we’ve seen our officers, our civilians, and even children in our community hurt by people prohibited from carrying weapons, those carrying weapons illegally, and those that sell drugs in our community — that are a constant scourge in our community,” Kimble said on Feb. 9 .
Killeen Police Chief Charles Kimble addressed a press conference on Feb. 9 announcing the results of Operation Washout 2.0 in this photo courtesy of the Waco Tribune-Herald.
But up until Friday, local details of the operation — including how many people KPD arrested, and the amount of drugs and weapons KPD seized — were not publicly known.
DRUGS, MONEY & Guns
According to data obtained by the Herald on Friday from the DPS, KPD accounted for 93% of the marijuana seized during the entire operation.
As for cocaine, data showed KPD confiscated 190.8 grams of the substance during their arrests — accounting for 59% of the total 323.32 grams seized during the nine-day exercise.
Of the currency seized during the operation, 27.7% — $14,879 out of a total of $53,579 — was confiscated by KPD.
In all, 42 firearms were seized — 10 of which were from KPD, according to DPS data.
ARRESTS
KPD arrested 11 people on felony charges and 2 people on misdemeanor charges during the operation, DPS data showed, amounting to about 5.5% of the total number of arrests during the nine-day period.
DPS spokesman Sgt. Ryan Howard said Friday the names of those arrested cannot be released at this time. On Feb. 9, Howard did release mugshots of some people arrested in the operation, but had no names attached to them.
During the three-day, multi-agency “Operation First Strike” in 2019, KPD reported it resulted in the arrest of 37 “alleged violent offenders and fugitives,” according to prior reporting.
When asked for a comment about the latest data received from DPS Friday, KPD spokeswoman Ofelia Miramontez disputed that KPD, alone, made 11 felony arrests during the operation.
“Please be advised that our agency, Killeen Police Department, did not make those arrests,” Miramontez wrote the Herald Friday. “Our department participated in a joint task force operation that involved multiple agencies, leading to multiple arrests, as you already know.”
Kimble released a statement to the Herald Friday describing the operation as a “great success.”
“This operation was a great success for getting dangerous criminals, narcotics, and firearms off the streets,” he said. “We value our partnership with our law enforcement partners and we will continue to work with them to make our communities safer.”
Be the first to comment