WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) arrested 48 fugitives in a three-day “apprehension operation.”

From Oct. 3 to Oct. 5, MPD targeted “violent offenders” that had outstanding warrants against them in a operation called Operation Trident. It was a collaboration with the FBI’s Washington Field office, U.S. Marshals and Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency.

“The individuals that were recommended for arrest under this particular project within pretrial were those who were at highest risk of re-arrest. They were not facing a new charge,” said Leslie Cooper, director of the Pretrial Services Agency.

Of the 48 arrests, MPD said there were a total of 96 charges. 72 of the charges had warrants that were closed and 24 were additional charges. A total of 19 had warrants for failing to appear in court, 33 bench warrants, nine fugitives from justice, two federal warrants, seven parole violations, two probation violations and three firearm recoveries, according to MPD.

“Violent crime within the District is predominantly driven by a small number of individuals,” Acting Chief Pamela Smith, stated in a news release. “This week’s operation was a significant step towards combating this violence and bringing peace back to our neighborhoods.”

Some arrestees were charged with multiple counts for active warrants and many were on supervised release or probation for other offenses.

U.S. Attorney Matt Graves said collaboration is key, but said they need more resources to hold criminals accountable. He said the most common charge for people illegally carrying a firearm is carrying a pistol without a license. However, he said less than 10% of defendants are held pre-trial despite asking for holds.

“For the typical person who is charged with a firearms offense, the only time that they’re going to spend in jail is the time between when they’re arrested and when they have their detention hearing, which can be a matter of a few days,” Graves said.

This summer, the D.C. Council passed the emergency crime bill, which gives judges more discretion to hold violent defendants pre-trial.

Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Lindsey Appiah says since July, the D.C. Jail population has increased by about 400 people.

“We have seen a change in behavior by the courts, including more holds as a result of any number of things,” Appiah said. “But certainly what we can say is that after the legislation passed, more people are being held.”

Mayor Muriel Bowser said more needs to be done, but Operation Trident is an important step to stopping gun violence in the District.

“The idea behind it is that they’re not going to be out there committing crimes while they’re being charged with other crimes. And if they can be connected to services, they are,” Bowser said.

Acting Police Chief Pamela Smith said a majority of violent crime is driven by a small number of individuals.

Meanwhile, the U.S. attorney said a major challenge for law enforcement is that suspects are only held for a few days—between the time they are arrested to the time of their detention hearing—before they are back on the streets.

“We prioritize wanted fugitives for firearms-related offenses and violent crimes,” said Metropolitan Acting Police Chief Pamela Smith. “We’ve worked together to take criminal eyes off the street.”

This summer, the D.C. Council passed the emergency crime bill, which gives judges more discretion to hold violent defendants pre-trial.