(Tracy, CA) – On January 5, 2010, Chief Janet Thiessen briefed the Tracy City Council on the Tracy Police Department’s Violent Crime Suppression Operation. An increased emphasis on suppression and enforcement was one of the strategies outlined in the operation.

Since December 28, 2009, when the plan was implemented twenty one documented gang members have been arrested for various charges including one homicide warrant, public drunkenness and possession of illegal weapons, firearms or drugs.

Additionally, one suspect in an attempted homicide has been identified and two Hayward gang members were stabbed during what appears to be a drug transaction gone wrong.

City Manager Leon Churchill stated, “Our police department has consistently kept Tracy safe, and this added emphasis on fighting crime demonstrates our commitment and flexibility in getting positive results. Unfortunately, the increase in the degree of violence in the last two months of 2009 shocked us all and required us to step back and assess what we needed to do to restore the sense of safety and community Tracy has enjoyed for so long. I am confident Chief Thiessen and the TPD are doing what needs to be done.”