Published on Wednesday, August 30, 2006
in the WAWS FOX30 News

Successful month for 30 FHP troopers

It's been a busy month for 30 Florida Highway Patrol officers brought in to help the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office beef up protection in high-crime neighborhoods.

The FHP sent the troopers to Jacksonville to help with "Operation Road Block North." They patrolled the streets for four weekends, and in that time, they were able to take guns, dirty money and suspected murderers off the streets.

Over the course of a month, the troopers made 2,150 traffic stops, which lead to 140 arrests in Jacksonville. They seized 18 guns, more than 880 grams of cocaine and marijuana, and snagged nearly 2,200 pills like Xanax and Ecstasy. They also seized more than $65,000.

Lieutenant Bill Leeper, public information officer for the Florida Highway patrol, says the success of the 4-weekend crime sweep is very rewarding, especially since some of the troopers came from all over the state.

"It's very satisfying, because at first [the troopers] didn't know the area very well," he says.

It cost the Florida Highway Patrol $122,000 to conduct "Operation Roadblock North." It tells us, future patrols are being planned.