KILLEEN, TX — On Wednesday, the U.S. Marshals held a press conference to announce the success of a joint task force mission dubbed Operation Washout 2.0 that led to the arrest of 250 across Central Texas.
The successful arrest of 250 people tied to several gangs and violent crimes in Mclennan, Coryell, and Bell Counties is the result of Operation Washout 2.0.
The mission included multiple agencies from the U.S. Marshals and A-T-F to county sheriffs and local police departments. Killeen PD and their detective were assigned to the task force.
”He helps the marshal service in rounding up violent fugitives and people who are wanted in the area. Then we have a reciprocal type of case in Killeen and they bring their resources to Killeen,” said Charles F. Kimble, Killeen chief of police.
Operation Washout 2.0 relied heavily on tips and active warrants for most of the people arrested.
”They go look for those people who have active warrants. Particularly your more violent warrants. Your robberies, your murders, your drug dealers, those who are in possession of illegal weapons,” said Kimble.
Kimble said there is no way KPD could have had the success that these two missions had if they were flying solo.
”We can’t do this by ourselves. So, we had a lot of intel work that went in and did a lot of background on these people, that looked at their travel habits, that looked at that intel from a lot of different agencies that helped locate these fugitives,” said Kimble.
Many of the people arrested are gang members but Kimble said it’s not just the known gang members that fuel those gang problems in Killeen.
”We’re looking for the gang member but, we’re also looking for the people that aid, comfort, and support to these gang members also,” said Kimble
When it comes to gangs in Killeen, Kimble said Operation Washout 2.0 is a battle won but, the war against gang-related crime is not over in Killeen.
”I don’t care if it's 4 people or 400, that’s a gang problem. So, anytime that we as law enforcement and we as a community and as a criminal justice system, anytime that we can disrupt that gang network, we’re putting a dent in it.”
250 people across the 3 counties were arrested but several other arrests have been made outside of Operation Washout 2.0.
