HUNDREDS ARRESTED IN STING ON BORDER

16 Agencies Target D.C., Pr. George's

An unprecedented month-long sting operation carried out by 16 local and
federal law enforcement agencies has resulted in the arrests of more than
400 people along the border between the District and Prince George's County
- -- a boundary that criminals have used successfully in the past to elude the
reach of police.

The results, which are scheduled to be formally released today, are the
product of the first phase of a federal and local crackdown on crime in
communities that abut the District-Prince George's line. Although law
enforcement officials said they were satisfied with the number of people
arrested, they said that just getting so many different agencies to work
together was an even bigger accomplishment.

The area along the border suffers from some of the highest crime rates in
the Washington region. Although police and federal agents have tried for
years to put a dent in the problem, most of the joint efforts fell apart
because of turf battles or a lack of cooperation among the agencies.

Known as "Operation Clean," the sting began in late March and so far has
resulted in 429 arrests, nearly 90 percent of them for drug crimes,
according to statistics provided by the Prince George's police. Of those,
301 people were arrested in the District and 128 in Prince George's. Agents
said they could not provide a breakdown on how many District residents were
arrested in Prince George's, or vice versa.

Officials also reported seizing 29 handguns, 10 vehicles and drugs -- mostly
marijuana and cocaine -- valued at $262,000.

The goals of the crackdown were to arrest at least 160 drug traffickers and
violent criminals and to seize at least 50 weapons, according to a
memorandum signed by each of the 16 law enforcement agencies before the
crackdown began.

"I've tried for three years to get the District to come to the table with
us," said Prince George's Police Chief John S. Farrell. "We've got to do
something that's never been done here. We've got to stop looking at this as
an individual jurisdictional problem. The only ones who have benefited from
these state lines are the criminals."

The crackdown was planned and carried out by the 16 agencies, including the
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and local probation
officers. Leading the operation were a total of about 30 police officers
from the District and Prince George's.

The police officers were federally deputized by the U.S. Marshals Service
and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, giving them wide authority to
cross jurisdictional lines to catch suspects. The idea was to cut off the
escape routes of "border jumpers" -- for instance, people who commit crimes
in the District and then flee to communities in Prince George's such as Seat
Pleasant or Capitol Heights to slip away from the reach of police.

"Because of our unique geography, our challenge was different from other
jurisdictions in Maryland," said Prince George's County Executive Wayne K.
Curry (D). "Given that a criminal is so mobile -- like everything else in
the Washington region -- it was the kind of case that screamed for cooperation."

D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey said yesterday that the partnership with
Prince George's is doing so well he is negotiating with Montgomery County to
establish a similar liaison at that border.

"Essentially, people would just start trouble in D.C. and run across the
street or vice-versa, but they don't have that flexibility anymore," Ramsey
said. "It has made for a more efficient policing strategy for both
departments. Pooling our resources also makes it easier for both of us in
terms of manpower. This is something we are looking to continue and,
hopefully, to expand."

The operation was paid for with about $200,000 in federal grants coordinated
by the Baltimore-Washington High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, a federal
agency based in Greenbelt.

U.S. Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) said he would push for more money so that
the operation can continue beyond this year. "Protecting our neighborhoods
is not one person's responsibility, and the war on drugs and crime will not
be won without a cooperative effort," Hoyer said yesterday.

Staff writer Maria Elena Fernandez contributed to this report.