A familiar sight is taking down criminals on Springfield's streets. After more than two years the police department's Street Crimes Unit is back.

They're part of the Springfield Police Department, but it's more than the uniform that separates this group from their counterparts in blue.

"They work hard, but they are 911 driven," says Police Sergeant John Delaney. "They have to respond to distress calls from the public all night long, they're jumping call to call to call."

Instead of following 911 calls, the Street Crimes Unit sets their own beat, targeting hot spots throughout the city.

"Certain areas on the street where we know there's a higher concentration of criminal activity," says Police Lieutenant John Slepchuk.

Our cameras went along as the 16 member unit started their stake outs, but on the way to the office a suspect was spotted and officers were able to make an immediate arrest.

"We spotted him, turned around and he wasn't able to get away from us," says Sgt. Delaney. "And this was a bad guy we locked up right here."

That bad guy is 17 year old Joaquin Diaz. The teen allegedly pulled a gun on his own mother, and when police first tried to arrest him he did the same to an officer. He was the unit's number two most wanted, and it's knowing these suspects by sight that makes Street Crimes so effective.

"We study their pictures, we study where they live, we follow their families and know where their families live," says Sgt. Delaney.

Once on the road officers wait for a spotter car to call in directions before moving in for an arrest. On the first call no drugs were found, but the suspect was wanted in another case. He was taken into custody and off the streets.

"If they are committing crimes or doing illegal activity then they go to jail," says Lt. Slepchuk. "That's our philosophy."

A philosophy that has netted almost 150 arrests in just a few weeks. Staking out just one known hot spot can lead to several arrests, and it's something the Street Crimes Unit repeats throughout the night.

"If we get two or three or four more everyday then we are doing the right thing," says Lt. Slepchuk.

At the next location officers are able to identify a drug dealer and his customers behind a North End apartment building. And even though there isn't always enough evidence to make an arrest, officers still gather evidence about unsafe locations and the possible suspects who frequent them.

"Every night we're taking pictures, we're gathering intelligence, we're gathering information," says Sgt. Delaney.

It's a system many members of the unit are unfamiliar with. When Commissioner Edward Flynn took office the unit's focus changed, and the information they spent years collecting became out of date and often unusable.

"One of the largest challenges is re-identifying these people," says Lt. Slepchuk. "There are people on file that don't live in the city, may be deceased, may be in jail. So we have to figure out who is around."

And though officers know that will take time they say the criminal climate in Springfield has to change.

"We're trying, that's all we can say is we're trying," says Sgt. Delaney. "And the citizens of Springfield should know that we're out here everyday trying."