PHOENIX — A string of arrests were made in Phoenix's largest homeless encampment, "The Zone," on Tuesday. Phoenix Police Lieutenant David Seitter said it's a targeted effort to "root out the main offenders" victimizing people living in the encampment.
"So the main things we're looking for, as the individuals that are bringing the largest quantities of drugs down here, and are the basically the single points for failure," Seitter said.
Seitter's primary concerns? Homicides, fentanyl deaths, fentanyl sales and gun sales. He said police have been working for several weeks doing "targeted enforcement" and "undercover operations" to catch "key individuals."
The result of that work was 10 arrests across three search warrants served to "temporary structures" near 9th Avenue and Madison Street.
Seitter initially told 12News that nine arrests had been made, but a pre-written statement from the Phoenix Police Department amended that number to 10. According to Seitter, all of the department's "primary targets" had been taken into custody, but they were still looking for other individuals.
Those people reportedly didn't belong to a single group, but rather "different subgroups," that Seitter said were organized by "different territories."
The arrests came just a month after a judge ruled that Phoenix had to address the "public nuisance" that the homeless encampment presented. The city claims that it's been doing "enhanced cleanings of the area" since December.
Despite the close proximity, Seitter said Tuesday's arrests weren't related to the lawsuit and investigations had been underway for some time. He said he wants to address issues that may not be common knowledge to the community at large.
"Because, ultimately, if there's going to be people staying down here who are homeless, they should be able to do so safely," Seitter said.
Up to Speed
Catch up on the latest news and stories on our 12News YouTube playlist here.