The Lewiston Police Department announced on Thursday that they have launched a new initiative they are calling a crime suppression enforcement detail to combat a recent uptick of violent crimes in the city.
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According to Lewiston Police, they conducted a multi-jurisdiction crime suppression enforcement detail on Wednesday that resulted in eight arrests.
“This Crime Suppression Operation is part of the wide range of crime-prevention strategies the Lewiston Police Department hopes will help stabilize the environment, focusing police resources on neighborhoods with higher levels of violent crime,” police said in a statement about the new detail.
The operation was conducted in cooperation with Maine Probation and Parole, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, the District Attorney’s Office, Attorney General’s Office, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Lewiston Police say they will continue to conduct targeted crime suppression patrols in neighborhoods with higher levels of violent crime during the next few months, in particular due to recent shootings.
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One of the eight individuals arrested during Wednesday’s operation was Blaze Small, 25, of Lewiston, who was charged with manslaughter for allegedly crashing a vehicle into a home in the city in May, killing a woman and injuring two other people.
“There will be additional operations in the following weeks to address violence within the city. Some of these arrests remain under investigation as are part of ongoing investigations with more arrests and seizures are likely to follow,” police said.
