This week, Allegheny County Police seized seven illegal firearms and made five arrests after multiple raids across the Mon Valley. We spoke with the department to learn more about the specialized group of detectives working to get illegal guns off the streets.
Since January, a group of five detectives known as the Violent Crime and Firearm Squad, or the VCF, has taken 110 illegal guns off the streets. This week, they added seven more following a series of raids across the Mon Valley.
“We were in Clairton, we were in Homestead, we were in Braddock; all of these communities have been plagued with violence,” said Allegheny County Police Assistant Superintendent Victor Joseph.
According to police, earlier Friday, officers raided two homes, one in Homestead and the other in Clairton.
In Homestead, officers found two guns inside a home on E. 14th Street. One firearm was reported stolen, and two people were taken into custody.
In Clairton on Washington Avenue, one person was taken into custody after detectives recovered a 9mm “ghost gun.”
We asked the department how they are tracking down the guns, and they told us it’s a collaborative effort.
“Technology plays a big part in what they do, intelligence from other police agencies, school districts, from the community itself… social media, license plates, surveillance cameras,” Joseph said.
On Tuesday, the VCF executed another search warrant on Benton Street in Braddock where they found four guns along with six pounds of weed. Two people were taken into custody.
In total, seven guns were found and five arrests made, three of which were juveniles.
Among the people arrested is 42-year-old Brandon Pollard. He faces multiple felonies
We asked where all the guns are coming from.
They say many are straw purchases, where someone buys a gun for a person who legally can’t own one, but the vast majority come from careless gun owners.
“Some are stolen. A lot of the guns that are on the street are being stolen from vehicles, irresponsible gun owners leaving them in a vehicle that is unlocked,” said Joseph.
Police credit the VCF, along with their collaboration with other departments and county-wide violence prevention efforts, with cracking down on the amount of illegal guns.
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