BY KEVIN BERSETT - News-Democrat
An unincorporated St. Clair County neighborhood infamous for its lawlessness got a major injection of law and order Thursday night.
About 80 local, state and federal law enforcement officers descended on Parkfield Terrace as part an organized effort to clean up a neighborhood that has been the scene of two unsolved murders the last eight months and dozens of other crimes.
Officers from the U.S. Marshals Service, the St. Clair County Sheriff's Department, and the Belleville, Cahokia and state police went house-to-house in the neighborhood near Cahokia looking for major and minor crimes and arresting anyone with an outstanding warrant.
Members of law enforcement walk down LauraLee Drive in the Parkview Terrace subdivision on Thursday evening. photo by Zia Nizami - Zia Nizami/BND
No fewer than a dozen arrests had been made by 9:30 p.m. for everything from violation of parole for testing positive for cocaine to misdemeanor possession of illegal fireworks, according to St. Clair County State's Attorney Brendan Kelly, who came up with the idea for the event.
Kelly hopes the show of force will demonstrate to criminals that law enforcement is watching the area intensely as the weather warms and the chance of crime increases. He also hoped to accomplish the modest goal of making the neighborhood "somewhat livable" for the subdivision's children and other law-abiding residents.
"If anything, it will reinforce the reduction in criminal activity that has occurred the last few weeks," Kelly said.
Kelly said the neighborhood has seen a decrease in crime since a shootout occurred March 30 near and in Parkfield Terrace that left one man dead and led to several arrests.
Some people in the neighborhood were happy to see the officers in their streets.
"They need to clean this neighborhood up," said Denise Mathis, of Lauralee Drive. "They need to stop all the violence out here."
"I think it's cool," said Calvery Brown, another Lauralee Drive resident. "Keeps things down."
One of their neighbors, Francis Williams, understood that police were doing their jobs but he didn't enjoy having his house searched. He was on probation for marijuana possession and had his urine tested while officers went through his home, making his children nervous.
"They're scared," he said.
Others didn't appreciate being led away by police for outstanding warrants, nor the media horde that took photographs and shot video of the scene.
"Why you put me on camera," one man arrested on an outstanding warrant said. "I ain't even did anything."
At times, officers resembled an occupying force, handing out hats and other small gifts to children while arresting an adult at the same home.
But that was the idea: Go after any and all violators while showing law-abiding residents that law enforcement is there to help.
Officers towed away four derelict vehicles, a week after leaving notices on between 30 and 40 vehicles warning their owners that the vehicles needed to be removed, Kelly said. Officers also cited several residents for environmental violations such as having debris in their yards and set up checkpoints at the entrances to the neighborhood looking for drunken drivers and seat belt violators.
All those cited and arrested for misdemeanor crimes were given the same court date: July 8. On that date, a special hearing will be held at nearby Wirth Middle School and those cited for certain violations will have their tickets dismissed if they comply with a planned cleanup in the neighborhood and fix their violations.
Kelly said the whole operation was to show people law enforcement is not giving up on any neighborhood.
"This is kind of a grand experiment," he said.
Contact reporter Kevin Bersett at kbersett@bnd.com or 239-2535.
Read more: http://www.bnd.com/2011/05/20/1715379/at-least-12-arrested-during-parkfield.html#ixzz1MttIKLUm
The suspect's car sustained heavy damage to its front-end. A shorn front bumper, pieces of broken concrete and track marks provided evidence of his off-road journey.
