Drug Bust, DUI’s Included in 14 Arrests Saturday

If you were out and about in the City of Pittsfield this past Saturday night and felt like you saw a ton of law enforcement, you were not alone. Several listeners chimed in on Slater & Marjo In The Morning today, confirming that they too saw an extraordinary amount of State and local Police Officers on the roads.  A release for the Pittsfield Police Departments explains what went on in the City over the weekend.

According to Chief Michael Wynn, over the last several weeks, the Pittsfield Police Department, in cooperation with the Massachusetts State Police and the Berkshire County Sheriff's Office, conducted a series of high visibility patrol operations in response to recent acts of violence within the City, and in anticipation of dangerous driving behaviors during the holiday season. These operations were based on intelligence information provided by the Department’s Crime Analyst and on the principles of Data Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety.  One of those operations was conducted this past Saturday, Dec. 8, but also included Friday, Nov. 16, Tuesday, Nov. 20, and Wednesday, Nov. 28.

While all dates lead to arrests, this past Saturday yielded 14 , including two arrests for Operating Under the Influence of Alcohol, and one out of state Sex Offender Registration violation and seized approximately 340 grams of cocaine with an estimated street value of $34,000 and numerous illicit pills. Officers also wrote 171 Uniform Citations for moving violations.

All in all, the four operations combined resulted in 32 arrests, 6 Criminal Summonses, 418 Traffic Stops, 14 Criminal Motor Vehicle Summonses, 253 Motor Vehicle Citations and 145 Verbal Warnings.

The Pittsfield Police Department has conducted similar operations at various times in the past, but have not conducted an operation of this scale since 2016. The Department would like to extend our appreciation to all of our public safety partners from the Berkshire County Sheriff’s Office, the Massachusetts State Police, District Court Probation, and the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission who contributed to these successful operations.