CLEAN SWEEP WAS A SUCCESS

Kudos , pats on the back all around and a great big thank you to the
numerous law enforcement officers who took part in Operation Clean
Sweep in Marshall, DeKalb, Etowah and other counties this week.

Never before have so many local, state and federal officers been seen
in such presence in the Marshall County area for such a far-reaching
and effective roundup of criminals. More than 200 people from at
least four counties were arrested and charged with felonies this
week. Additionally, some 150 more were arrested for varying levels of
misdemeanors.

Certainly, it is a shame such a roundup was necessary, but the hard
fact there has been too much crime in this area of northeast Alabama
and crime was about to get out of control. That is particularly true
in the Kilpatrick area.

Working from before sunup to long after sundown, these men and women
did a phenomenal job surprising alleged drug dealers, gang members
and other miscreants, arresting them with few problems and incidents.
For that, we are thankful.

Many neighbors did not even know raids had occurred until after the
fact, and such raids were swiftly and efficiently executed.
Roadblocks, although plentiful, were conducted professionally, moving
drivers in and through the blocks quickly.

The lengthy list of the accused transcends all races, genders and
socioeconomic backgrounds. No one was given preferential treatment in
this operation.

We can hope those not caught in this sweep will get the message and
get out of our towns. In the meantime, we continue to thank our law
enforcement officials for their tireless efforts on a daily basis.