Oakland police, federal agents seize at least 50 firearms, make arrests

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File Photo: Oakland police vehicle.

OAKLAND (BCN) Oakland police and federal agents seized at least 50 firearms and arrested multiple suspects in a massive gun raid on Thursday in the culmination of a year-long investigation into drug and gun trafficking in the city, Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said.

The enforcement action, which Oakland police conducted along with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, is part of an effort "to end senseless killings and shootings by taking guns off the streets," Kirkpatrick said at a news conference at police headquarters.

The investigation was begun by the ATF and the DEA and Oakland police joined the operation later on, according to Kirkpatrick.

Among the items that were seized were fully automatic high-powered rifles and high-capacity magazines, which are capable of holding large numbers of rounds, Kirkpatrick said.

Oakland police track every bullet and gun shell casing they recover from shooting scenes and compare them to the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) specialized computer database, 
Kirkpatrick said.

Some of the guns, bullets and casings recovered today have already been linked to several murders and shootings in Oakland and can help solve those cases, according to Kirkpatrick.

The operation is still continuing and law enforcement officials hope to make more arrests so Kirkpatrick said she was limited in what she could say about it on Thursday.

ATF and DEA officials were unable to join Oakland police at the news conference because of the federal government shutdown, according to Kirkpatrick.