CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Charleston police say fewer arrests have been made since the department created a new Hybrid Unit.
The unit conducted an undercover sting Monday on the city’s West Side where they made three arrests.
“The first time we did this in February — it was February 22 — we actually made 14 arrests that day. Today, we were out at the same time periods, better weather today and we should’ve seen more people out. There were less arrests, only three arrests,” said Lt. Paul Perdue of the Charleston Police Department.
James Bradshaw, 38, was arrested for a number of things including driving revoked for DUI and possessing several needles.
Rosemary Foye, 44, was arrested for trespassing and disorderly conduct. Juan Pineiro, 52, was arrested for possession of marijuana.
Officers found three needles during the sting. In February, 75 needles were found.
Perdue said they’re arrested less homeless people.
“Out of the arrests that we found today, we only had three folks and all three of them had homes. The ones that we had in February — half of those folks were homeless, so I think we can attribute part of this to the Family Reunification and part of that as well could be attributed to the needle exchange,” he said.
When officers conduct the undercover sting, Perdue said they try to cover different areas of the city.
“We’re trying to be unpredictable on the days that we do it. We switch around the days and we switch around the areas. That presence we’re trying to create that we’re always there — hopefully that’s going to shed some light and hopefully folks we’ll start seeing some of the stuff that’s going on go away,” he said.