Philadelphia police officers are joining deputy U.S. marshals, probation and parole authorities, warrant officers and others – an alphabet soup of local, state, and federal agencies — in Operation Pressure Point, a police-led effort to tamp down violence by targeting the most troubled neighborhoods at the most dangerous times – Friday and Saturday nights, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.
From 8 p.m until 3 a.m., the huge law enforcement contingent attempts to serve arrest warrants on the most-wanted fugitives, disrupt the busiest drug corners, and raid the area’s worst nuisance bars. Launched in April and planned to stretch through October, Operation Pressure Point has been credited with a drop in weekend homicides and shootings. More than half of the city’s violent crime occurs between Friday night and Sunday night. In April, weekend homicides were cut in half compared to 2008, and nonfatal shootings were slashed by 20 percent. Overall, homicides for the year are down 10 percent from last year – 148 compared to 165.