NJ Authorities Announce Gun Seizures, Arrests From Weapons Crackdown Initiative
NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) - A coordinated weapons crackdown initiative in New Jersey has netted the seizure of 76 guns along the Route 21 Passaic River corridor since May, officials announced Wednesday.
WCBS 880's Levon Putney reports
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"This initiative involves more than 20 state, county, local and federal law enforcement agencies collaborating to fight crime along the corridor extending from Newark to Paterson," state Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa told reporters including WCBS 880's Levon Putney. "The cooperating agencies have made 405 arrests."
Law enforcement officials have been focusing on removing what are known as 'community guns' from the streets.
"A community gun is a gun hidden in a location known to a street gang or other group of criminals," Chiesa said.
Those weapons are often hidden in broken down cars, lamp posts or wooded areas in a park where kids could find them, according to authorities.
Statewide, 323 guns have been seized this year by the state police weapons trafficking unit. That is nearly three times more than the number of guns seized in all of 2011.
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