CRIME CLEANUP CONTINUES

A welcome cleanup and crackdown on crime in a time-worn Yonkers
neighborhood brought the indictment of 16 people Wednesday, charged with
gang activity, drug dealing and weapons trafficking. It's the same
neighborhood that earlier this year saw the killing of a toddler when a
bullet pierced an apartment house wall and the murder of an 18-year-old man
who ejected a drug dealer from a store.

Ten arrests were made by an FBI/U.S. Attorney's Office/Yonkers police task
force that swept through the Nodine Hill section, an older area of closely
packed tenements and businesses. Other arrests were made in Florida and
Massachusetts; four suspects were already in police custody.

"The removal of these 16 individuals will definitely have an impact on the
quality of life" in the area, said police Commissioner Charles Cola.

Indeed, Nodine Hill has been going downhill for too many years. Last year,
Yonkers police staged a two-month crackdown called "Operation Lumberjack"
that resulted in 130 arrests for drug-dealing, prostitution and various
quality-of-life crimes.

In January, 2-year-old Ami Guzman was killed while watching a video in her
bedroom by a stray bullet fired by a man using a store sign for target
practice. Two weeks later, Ariel Acevedo was shot dead at a store less than
a block away. Arrests were made in both cases.

Those indicted Wednesday are accused of selling cocaine and weapons that
ranged from illegal handguns to machine guns. They face various federal
charges that could result in prison terms of five years to 40 years, and
fines from $250,000 to $ 2 million.

U.S. Attorney James Comey of New York's Southern District called the
indictments "significant progress against the scourge of street-level
firearms and narcotics trafficking in Yonkers." While Yonkers police
continued undercover operations and patrols after "Lumberjack," the
department was prudent to seek assistance from the FBI and U.S. Attorney's
Office.

"Because of the operation," Cola said, "the streets of Nodine Hill are a
lot safer today than they were yesterday." Comey said his office, the FBI
and Yonkers police "will keep at it until the people of Yonkers have the
safety and security they deserve."

May they succeed in that effort.