Operation Tip the Scale Nets Dozens of Arrests in La Mesa

LA MESA, CA - Law enforcement officers in Lemon Grove, La Mesa and Rancho San Diego arrested 28 people and issued 92 citations in areas known for drug-related crime during the 20th Operation Tip the Scale, according to results released Friday.

The latest installment of the drug treatment outreach and enforcement effort was conducted Tuesday and involved the county's sheriff's department, its Methamphetamine Strike Force, probation department and behavioral health services; the La Mesa Police Department, Metropolitan Transit System security and personnel from the McAllister Institute, an alcohol and drug treatment center.

Teams conducted saturation patrols and probation compliance checks in "known hotspots for drug-related crime," and worked to convince drug users to seek treatment, according to the sheriff's department.

Sheriff's Lt. Christopher May said the effort gave drug addicts and chronic scofflaws options besides jail. Drug treatment counselors were on hand to speak with those contacted about how they could possibly get their lives back on track.

"Many of the users are the ones breaking into our homes, doing petty street crimes to support their addictions," May said. "This operation gives them the chance to get help through treatment, which ultimately makes our communities safer. We know it's hard to break the cycle, but we can't arrest our way out of the problem."

May said one in five people arrested during the one-day operation was taken directly to a treatment program. Social workers also took four children into protective custody.

More than 600 arrests have been made since the first Tip the Scale in 2009, authorities said.

- City News Service / Image via Shutterstock