Exclusive | Cops sweep MacArthur Park in fierce crackdown on drug-fueled chaos

Police descended on Los Angeles’ notoriously drug-infested MacArthur Park on Tuesday — sending users scurrying as ongoing sweeps have helped beat back the longtime scourge of crime in the area.The Los Angeles Police Department’s Rampart Division, known for tackling more crime in a smaller area than almost anywhere in the city, has begun foot patrols in the park in an effort to complete a final cleanup of the green space.Commanding Officer Capt.

Ben Fernandes said police and federal officers have dealt a severe blow to drug dealing at MacArthur, cleaning up the violent, open-air narcotics market that once teemed with junkies hunting for a high.Now cops are going after what remains: dozens of users and low-level dealers who still populate the park, Fernandes said. “They’re zombies, walking around aimlessly, just trying to get a fix,” he said.

“We need to break the cycle.” The California Post was there Monday morning as LAPD officers in teams of nine patrolled the space, quickly arresting one woman smoking fentanyl from a piece of tin foil who was so disoriented that she didn’t see the cops coming.Officers placed her in handcuffs as they discovered a pipe for smoking meth and a container used for holding fentanyl.“She gave us four names, and she’s got a warrant for five grand,” one officer said.

“It’s time for her to see a judge.”As the foot patrol continued on the north side of the park, officers encountered only residents walking their dogs and resting on the grass.Cops encountered more action on the south side of MacArthur, as a wave of users and small-time dealers scurried away from officers as they approached.A homeless man left behind in the rush asked for a referral to a shelter, which police provided.With the addicts gone, an elderly woman sat down on a bench to read a book.“That’s exactly what we’re trying to do,” Fernades said.

“Clean up the park so that residents can use it.”  More than a century old and origin...