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180 Arrested In Weekend Crackdown On Crime

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Police joined state and federal agents in a major crackdown on crime this past weekend, which resulted in 180 arrests, as an effort to ensure a safe spring break.

Chicago Police officers were joined by agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Illinois Department of Corrections; Illinois State Police; Cook County Sheriff's offices; and the City Inspection Task Force for a crackdown on everything from parole violations to illegal parking.

The crackdown took place in three police districts at each end of the city – the Grand Crossing District, which includes the South Shore, Woodlawn and Grand Crossing neighborhoods and Jackson Park on the South Side; the Ogden District, which includes the North Lawndale and Little Village neighborhoods on the West Side; and the Lincoln District, which includes the Edgewater, Andersonville, Arcadia Terrace and Budlong Woods neighborhoods, and parts of the Lincoln Square and Uptown neighborhoods, on the North Side.

The crackdown, dubbed Return to Owner V, began at 5 a.m. this past Friday and continued through 5 a.m. Sunday. There were no homicides or shootings in the three districts during all that time.

Police arrested 180 people during the crackdown, including 65 for felonies and 36 on warrants. Eighteen parolees were also taken back to jail for violating their parole, police said.

Police also seized three guns and three stolen vehicles, executed one search warrant, wrote 306 moving violation tickets and 440 parking tickets, issued 22 tickets for non-traffic offenses, caught five curfew violators and executed one search warrant.

City inspectors also dropped by numerous businesses in the three police districts. They ended up issuing 200 building code violation tickets and closing four businesses for dangerous conditions, police said.

Police have conducted similar operations through the past year. This is the fifth such operation since July 2010, and the first this year.

In all, the Operation Return to Owner projects have resulted in 857 arrests and 107 parolees returned to prison, police said.

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