Between April 13 and 19, investigators with the sheriff’s gangs/narcotics division led targeted crime suppression efforts as part of Operation Consequences.
The gang suppression unit, together with combined forces with the San Bernardino County Probation, the California Highway Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations and the San Bernardino Police Department to obtain search warrants that were ultimately served on April 17.
Additional support came from the Rialto, Ontario, Montclair, Colton and Barstow police departments, as well as the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Division of Adult Parole Operations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Simultaneously, the San Bernardino movement against street hoodlums (SMASH) street enforcement team (SET) personnel from the sheriff’s specialized enforcement division and multiple patrol stations conducted proactive patrols in the High Desert and surrounding jurisdictions.
An area of intense focus in the coordinated operations was Hesperia and surrounding communities. As a result, investigators contacted gang members and persons prohibited from possessing firearms. Investigators made 43 felony arrests and 33 misdemeanor arrests. Nearly 12 pounds of suspected narcotics were seized, including suspected cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl. Investigators seized 76 firearms during the operation, which included 10 ghost guns.
In some of its action, the department relied on the 2024 passage of Proposition 36, “The Homelessness, Drug Addiction and Theft Reduction Act,” which and reformed multiple laws growing out of Proposition 47, which is perceived by some as increasing homelessness, drug addiction and theft. Proposition 36 includes several new Penal and Health and Safety Codes that deputies can apply during arrests, some of which involve charges that can carry enhanced sentencing, as well as prevent offenders from being cite-released before their court appearance. Proposition 36 applied to two of the arrests.
The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors authorized funds for countywide crime suppression. The intent is to provide additional funding to the sheriff’s department, allowing for increased law enforcement services related to quality-of-life issues in county communities.
Operation Consequences continues to focus on conducting targeted crime suppression operations and parole and probation checks in the High Desert and the sheriff’s jurisdiction surrounding the City of San Bernardino. The operation will include personnel from the sheriff’s gangs/narcotics division, specialized enforcement division, and patrol stations, as well as California Highway Patrol and San Bernardino County Probation, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and Department of Homeland Security Investigations. Operation Consequences will take place over the next several months to curb violent crime, disrupt and dismantle targeted criminal street gangs, and locate and arrest criminals who are illegally possessing, manufacturing and trafficking firearms.