A monthlong crackdown on crime in Volusia County led to 120 arrests, according to federal and local law enforcement officials who gathered Tuesday to announce the results of Operation Fall Harvest.
The FBI, Volusia Sheriff’s Office, Daytona Beach Police Department and Homeland Security partners worked together on several investigations targeting fugitives, drug activity, prostitution and human trafficking.
Investigators released body camera video showing some of those arrests.
In one recording, a suspect appears surprised when deputies tell him he has warrants for selling cocaine. In another, a suspect repeatedly tells officers, “You got me,” as they take him into custody.
FBI Jacksonville Special Agent in Charge Jason Carley said the operation reflects a broader effort to bring federal resources into local investigations.
“Over the span of 30 days, we arrested 120 criminals,” Carley said. “That was in part to everything that the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, Daytona Beach Police Department and the [other agencies] working with us on that.”
Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young said his department participated in three operations this fall, including a child predator investigation that resulted in six arrests, a drug operation that netted approximately nine arrests and a prostitution operation that resulted in about six arrests.
Some of those operations were timed around Biketoberfest, when thousands of visitors descend on Daytona Beach.
Young said the presence of federal agents alongside local officers can have an immediate impact on suspects.
“It really goes a long way to kind of strike fear in the hearts and minds of our criminal element,” Young said.
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood offered a more colorful explanation of what happens when suspects realize they’re dealing with more than local deputies.
Chitwood described suspects being handcuffed in their homes, looking up and seeing FBI and Homeland Security agents standing over them.
“Why are they standing in my living room?” Chitwood said, describing the reaction he believes suspects have when they see federal agents.
Chitwood said the cooperation extends beyond arrests. Federal investigators are helping review cases, examine evidence and identify investigations that could be prosecuted in federal court. He said the FBI has also offered resources to help review cold cases, including access to its laboratory in Quantico, Virginia.
The sheriff said those partnerships are bringing new resources to investigations that local agencies could not handle as effectively on their own.
“If you’re a thug and you think you’re going to commit crimes and you’re going to run Volusia County, you’re wrong,” Chitwood said.
Law enforcement leaders said the joint operations will continue, with federal agents working alongside local investigators on future cases.
Young said Daytona Beach police also hope to conduct child predator operations more regularly following the success of their first such joint effort this fall.