SAN ANTONIO, Texas – One local business owner is pessimistic about the effectiveness of an undercover operation targeting street crimes on the Northeast Side.
Luis Felipe Torres owns a gym located in the area where the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office conducted an undercover operation to crackdown on prostitution, illegal drugs and gang activity this week.
It was one of many operations conducted since July after the Sheriff’s Office received complaints from members of the community, according to Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar.
Torres says he has made multiple police reports after witnessing an assortment of crimes play out near his business.
“I have had encounters with people, armed (and) unarmed,” Torres said. “These people are dangerous, with machetes, guns.”
KSAT 12 rode alongside detectives Thursday, as undercover deputies posed as prostitutes and waited for individuals to make illegal offers.
“The goal was to address various forms of criminal activity,” Salazar said Thursday.
Torres said he has seen this sort of activity firsthand.
“Strange cars, giving some money to some ladies,” Torres said, “the ladies coming to the car.”
At least two people were arrested during Thursday’s operation, a sheriff’s office spokesperson said, bringing the total number of arrests in prostitution stings up to 24 since July.
One man arrested was still dressed in his work uniform, and drove a company-owned truck.
While Torres was glad to hear about the crackdown, he fears it may not be enough to solve the problems in that Northeast side neighborhood.
Along with undercover work done by detectives, Torres says stricter penalties for criminals are needed.
“There’s no fear,” Torres said.
“If you do something, you have consequences, right?” Torres said. “When there’s not that, (criminals think) ‘If they catch me, I’m going to be doing the same thing.”
In addition to the crackdown along Austin Highway on Thursday, deputies conducted an operation on Zarzamora Street in November that netted at least seven arrests.
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