Birmingham, Alabama (July 3, 2019) — When Sheriff Mark Pettway took office in January, one of his first items of business was to establish the Sheriff’s Neighborhood Enforcement Team (SNET) to travel county-wide to fight crime on the streets. SNET has been working for the past two months and has had an overwhelming success in making Jefferson County neighborhoods safer. The main purpose of SNET is to address the high crime areas wherever they may be in Jefferson County.
In May alone, SNET made 69 felony arrests in Jefferson County which resulted in the recovery of more than $61,000 in stolen property and over $16,000 in the seizure of drug money. In June, there were 61 felony arrests.
Many of these arrests were the result of citizen tips. Most of these tips came from within Jefferson County with some coming from surrounding counties. When citizens call in with tips, the Sheriff’s office follows up on them and acts on them if the information is credible.
“I hear from people all of the time about how grateful they are that our Mobile Unit is out on the streets protecting our neighborhoods,” said Sheriff Mark Pettway. “Our citizen tips have made it possible for us to be successful in fighting crime over the past three months.”
In addition and in May, the Sheriff’s Vice and Narcotic unit shut down more than 15 drug houses in western Jefferson County. This unit’s work along with SNET has made a major impact on stopping crime in these areas. “Drug dealers may set up shop on the western side of town but their customers come from all over the county. That’s why it’s imperative that we shut these drug dealers down. When the two units work in tandem the streets become safer, which is a major strategic initiative this office has put into place,” added Sheriff Pettway.
SNET is ridding the streets of felonies such as theft of property, unlawful possession and distribution of drugs, assaults and injuries with weapons.
SNET is just one of the many initiatives and directives the Sheriff’s office is spearheading to make the citizens of Jefferson County feel safer and more secure. For more information about SNET contact Captain David Agee at ageed@jccal.org