Responding to reports of large gatherings of motorcycle clubs, Madison County’s Cross-River Crime Task Force this month arrested two people in Granite City on charges of public drunkenness or disorderly conduct and issued 10 traffic citations.
The task force, which is made up of local, state and federal law enforcement officers, was deployed to the area July 15 in a continuing effort to halt the flow of crime into Madison County from across the Mississippi River. One of those arrested allegedly made obscene gestures to passing motorists, while the second arrestee allegedly tried to start a fight, the task force reported.
The task force officers took part in 11 traffic stops involving 25 people in Granite City.
In another deployment on July 1-2 in the Alton area, the unit’s officers made two other arrests, both for outstanding felony warrants. In addition, the task force issued seven citations and conducted 15 traffic stops.
While working in Alton, task force members assisted in the probe of a fatal shooting that led to the arrest of Neko J. Walker, 20, of Alton, who was charged with the unlawful use of a weapon.
Founded in 2021, the Cross-River Crime Task Force employs real-time data from automated license plate readers and techniques such as saturation patrols to discourage criminal activity in the county.
“Like our previous deployments, these were precision, strategic deployments,” Major Nick Novacich, the task force commander, said in a prepared statement. “They are designed not only to enforce laws and apprehend lawbreakers, but to deter criminal activity.”