If you have a warrant out for your arrest, be prepared for a rude awakening, said police officials. Starting at 4:50 a.m. on Tuesday, 22 teams of two law enforcement officers hit the city’s west side and started knocking on doors as part of a warrant sweep.
According to Capt. Anthony Falco of the Hoboken Police Department, by Wednesday afternoon 40 people had been arrested. Some were wanted for minor items like outstanding traffic warrants, but many had committed criminal offenses such as assault, drug dealing, writing bad checks and robbery, said Falco.
The sweep was a joint operation between the Hoboken Police Department, the Hudson County Prosecutors’ Office’s Municipal Task Force, and the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office.
After the offenders were taken into custody, they were transported to the Hoboken Police Station, where they were booked and processed. Some made bail and were released, while others were remanded and will remain in jail until their hearing.
Falco said Wednesday that the arrests are a loud message to criminals that the HPD is watching and has a strong presence.
“This is a direct response to the spike in crime that we have seen on the west side near the projects,” said Falco. In July, there were two non-fatal shootings near the Hoboken Housing Authority. At a press conference last week, Mayor David Roberts announced a corrective action plan, which included additional patrols, an anonymous tip line, and stricter enforcement of the Housing Authority’s zero tolerance policy.
According to Falco, the mayor and the HPD have been planning the warrant sweep for several weeks, but in order to keep the element of surprise intact, the mayor couldn’t announce that it was part of their plans.
“This sweep is one of many we have planned for the future,” said Falco. He added that the last sweep, about six months ago, netted 58 arrests.
Hudson County Undersheriff Frank Schillari added that in addition to criminal warrant sweeps like the one Tuesday, the sheriff’s office also conducts several random countywide warrant sweeps for deadbeat parents. He added that a secondary effect of the sweep is that persons with warrants now know that the police are searching them out.
By Wednesday morning, the HPD phones were ringing.
“The department has already received calls from individuals with outstanding warrants who want to turn themselves in,” said Falco. He added that those who still have an outstanding warrant should call the HPD or personally go down to the station.
In addition to the Hoboken addresses, a team was also sent to West New York and arrested Jessica Garcia, who is now residing on 52nd Street. She was the target of an investigation that started on June 1, 2004. She was charged with seven counts of writing bad checks and one count of forgery. She had outstanding warrants throughout Bergen and Hudson counties, as well as one from the Morris County Sheriff’s office, police said.