'Operation Washout': Durham police make 59 arrests, 7 of them related to homicides

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Law enforcement agencies from Durham say the city and the county are much safer after completing Operation Washout.

Fifty-nine arrests were made, seven of them for homicides. Nine firearms were taken off the streets and $206,000 worth of drugs were seized.

"This just extends that reach and allows us to go out and out more staffing and cast a wider net in order to be able to find these individuals that have repeatedly caused problems that now have outstanding violent warrants," said Chief Patrice Andrews, Durham Police Department.

The national operation includes the U.S. Marshals Service and local law enforcement agencies. The Durham Police and Durham County Sheriff's Office worked to identify some of the most violent repeat offenders they wanted off the streets. Between September 19 and 30 they were able to train and make the arrests with the help of U.S. Marshals and federal funding for overtime.

Chief Andrews says this one operation is not the only reason for the reduction in violent crime but it is a step in the right direction.

"Sometimes you do get the feedback from certain community members that simply say 'thank you' because they know that this person was causing a lot of the problems," said Chief Andrews.

Durham Police say they will continue working with local and federal agencies on more of these operations to get violent offenders off the streets.

Durham crime report shows slight dip in violent crime

New numbers show violent crime is dipping in Durham, but many who live there say they don't believe it.

ShotSpotter release delayed in Durham; residents remain skeptical

The controversial technology ShotSpotter, which has raised privacy concerns among some, is being delayed in Durham. It's not expected to go live until mid-November.