118 warrants executed, 60 felony arrests made during SPD’s ‘Operation Curve Ball’

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – The Shreveport Police Department is celebrating a massive joint law enforcement operation which led to 60 felony arrests over a recent three-day period.

The multi-faceted operation called ‘Operation Curve Ball’ focused on those with outstanding warrants. It involved a dozen local agencies teaming up. Shreveport Police did not undermine the success of the effort at press conference on Monday.

“Probably one of the best operations ever run in the Shreveport Police Department’s history,” said Corporal Chris Bordelon of the Shreveport Police Department.

According to SPD, in addition to their efforts the operation involved the Shreveport City Marshal’s Office, Caddo Parish Juvenile Services, Office of Juvenile Justice, Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office, Bossier Police Department, Louisiana State Probation & Parole, Louisiana State Police, ATF, FBI, District Attorney’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Over the three days, 118 warrants were executed from various agencies.

“Hundreds of warrants were executed that were just sitting there on the books where people have gone through the adjudicated process some and got to a certain point and just disappeared,” said Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith.

“I think a lot of people were not believing that they could just commit traffic violations, small misdemeanor violations, and not just get away with it. Not for those three days. Everybody was going to jail that had a warrant,” added Shreveport Police Lieutenant Steve McKenna, who helped coordinate the operation.

In addition to the felony arrest, 128 misdemeanor arrests were made. 22 guns, which were obtained illegally, and more than $100,000 worth of illegal drugs were seized.

“That’s quite a bit of narcotics. Quite a bit of weapons that had no purpose in the world other than to harm our community. Now it’s off the streets,” said Smith. “The weapons will not have the opportunity to harm no one else again because we are going to destroy them.”

“I know for a fact that there’s been several individuals that we took off the street that we had some information that these individuals like to discharge firearms in the city limit so Shreveport and we were able to arrest them and book them in. And we have multiple more subjects to go after,” said McKenna

According to Alexander Van Hook, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, the only way to reduce violent crime in Western Louisiana is by having agencies work together, as they did in this operation.

“I think we do that really well. Every law enforcement agencies represented here, Shreveport Police Department, Bossier City Police Department, Louisiana State Police and others all have members of their law enforcement group on our federal task force. And those task forces work well to help us reduce violent crime in this community.”

According to Shreveport police, information they received in the round-up helped stop a planned robbery in Bossier Parish, and it led to two vape shops in Shreveport being shut down for allegedly possessing and selling illegal narcotics.