'Operation Purge': 130 violent criminals nabbed, 355 warrants cleared

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - On Tuesday, Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone announced the results of "Operation Purge", a program designed to get felons with fugitive warrants off the streets.

"This is what law enforcement should look like," said Penzone, who announced a massive effort by Valley police organizations and the FBI to get criminals off the streets.

This is the first time Operation Purge was tried in Arizona. 130 arrests were made in the past two months, suspects facing everything from murder charges and sexual assault, to robbery and burglary charges. With 30,000 warrants in play, Penzone knows that number has to shrink.

"This is not new for law enforcement, we've known for some time that this has been an issue," said Penzone. "This is just the first opportunity that we have collaborated in this manner."

Officials said officers were able to clear 355 felony warrants, meaning some were already in jail, or some of them were no longer alive.