San Francisco police Sgt. Mark Obrochta cruises around the downtrodden Tenderloin in an unmarked car, listening on his radio to reports of drug deals going down within 1,000 feet of the neighborhood’s three schools
Two undercover officers – dressed in ratty cargo pants, sneakers and dirty T-shirts – wander the gritty streets. One of them tries to buy drugs, and the other watches from a half-block away and details into the radio his partner’s attempts.
It is the first day of the monthlong sting Operation Safe Schools, one prong of new Police Chief George Gascón’s attempts to rid the Tenderloin of its open-air drug trade.
Prove somebody’s dealing heroin, crack cocaine or methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a school while classes are in session, and state law allows a judge to tack on an extra three to five years in prison. Since the operation started Sept. 15, officers have run five stings and arrested 20 dealers. Thirteen of them have qualified for the extra prison time…
Filed under: Tenderloin crime | Tagged: District Six, Drug Dealers, George Gascón, open-air drug trade, Operation Safe Schools, The Tenderloin
