Detroit police make arrests in ‘Operation Wild Turkey’

Detroit — Police on Tuesday launched “Operation Wild Turkey,” a crime sweep through the city’s east side, targeting individuals with outstanding warrants.

According to police, the raid produced the following results: 42 felony arrests, 17 misdemeanor arrests, five illegal weapons seized as well as narcotics worth $52,010 in street value.

The effort was part of an ongoing series of “Operation Restore Order” raids that started when officers flooded the high-crime Colony Arms Apartments on Jefferson in November 2013.

Tuesday’s sweep was a uniformed, zero-tolerance initiative took place in the city’s Fifth and Seventh precincts, where police identified more than 135 warrants for assaults, armed robbery and illegal sale of narcotics.

“The objective of this operation will be to arrest those individuals with outstanding warrants and conduct home inspections of those who are currently on probation or parole,” police said in a release.

The department deployed the Special Response Team, Traffic Enforcement Unit, Tactical Response Unit, Gang Intelligence, as well as Patrol and Special Operation Officers from the precincts.

Previous Restore Order raids have taken place in high-crime areas throughout the city.

Federal, state and local authorities made 27 arrests and seized seven illegal weapons in a “Cherry Blossom” raid in early May. They also seized drugs with a street value of $87,000 after storming drug locations in a one-square-mile area near Wyoming and Eight Mile on the city’s northwest side.

In August, officers arrested 20 people on felony charges, confiscated two handguns and made 10 misdemeanor arrests during “Operation Aundrea Garland” in the Ninth Precinct on the city’s east side. The raid honored Garland, who was fatally shot the week before the raid.

Last month, police confiscated more than $1,200 and two pounds of narcotics during a “Peace Keepers” raid also in the Ninth Precinct.

HFournier@detroitnews.com

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