Patrol deputies stopping to check on people “hanging out” Monday morning end up arresting three on drug-related charges.
Deputies with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station were on patrol in the area of Vista Valencia Golf course north of Lyons Avenue near Interstate 5 when they spotted people hanging out, Shirley Miller, spokeswoman for the SCV Sheriff’s Station told The Signal Monday.
“Deputies patrolling near Vista Valencia spotted two adult males and one adult female hanging out,” Miller wrote on social media post Monday morning.
“Turns out they were in possession of various drug paraphernalia and methamphetamine,” she wrote.
“We arrested all three, and shuttled them to the sheriff’s station where they are currently being booked.”
Two weeks ago, sheriff’s officials set up specialized team aimed at cracking down on unsupervised teens hanging out “doing things that they shouldn’t be doing,” Miller said at the time the new team went into action.
Monday’s arrest of three people “hanging out,” however, was not the work of the specialty squad, Miller said..
The crackdown on unsupervised teens launched Oct. 11, is called – the juvenile suppression operation – and its intended to come between idle teens and crime. Adults, however, are not exempt from scrutiny.
“This was not a special op,” Miller said Monday. “The school deputies that check on the kids do that after school and when kids are not in school, etc.
“These were just our regular patrol deputies,” she said.
“The three adults were spotted on a hillside near Vista Valencia area, down Trevino Drive, near I-5 freeway,” Miller said.
“No vehicle was in sight,” she said. “ So deputies made contact with them.”
The juvenile suppression operation, however, remains in effect.
Deputies assigned to the SCV Sheriff’s Juvenile Intervention Team – or, simply, J Team – came up with the program after discussing it with school resource deputies.
The J Team’s Sgt. Tim Vanderleek is overseeing the suppression efforts.
During the operations, J Team deputies and school resource deputies are expected to carry out patrol checks across the SCV, in areas that are “known for students congregating.”
Areas targeted by the juvenile suppression operation are expected to include: parks, the mall, shopping center parking lots, fast food establishments, or “any location that has been brought to our attention,” Miller said.
Deputies are expected to check on kids to make sure they are safe and not engaging in unlawful activities such as smoking, consuming alcohol, and drug use, she said.
And, adults are not exempt from scrutiny.
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