Task Force to Combat Gang Violence

Earlier this year, I wrote an article in this newspaper about various gang incidents within
our county and the public’s perception of insecurity that these incidents cause. The resulting
climate of fear makes people feel unsafe and cautious. Gangs and their associated violence
are a complex societal problem that communities across the nation must face. The perception
in this county is that gang violence happens only in certain areas within Santa Cruz County.
Unfortunately, this is not the case.

Look at recent headlines in our local media: “Beach-area shooting leaves one dead”,
“Vacation stroll ends in stabbing”, “Westside erupts in bizarre night of violence”, “Two
teens wounded in Beach Flats drive-by”, “Watsonville Police Team aims to take guns off
the street”, “Woman arrested in beach violence”, “Seven arrested in Felton Stabbings”,
“Man stabbed to Death at Party, Teen arrested”, and “Deputies probe Larkin Valley shooting
death”. These are scary headlines, no doubt. Some of these violent acts by gang members
or associates make it seem that gang violence is out-of-control. It is true that gang violence
occurs for a variety of reasons. Violence may be territorial, for breaking the rules/ code
of conduct of the gang, an opposing gang member “disrespecting” another gang member,
retaliation, or committed on a innocent victim as part of a gang crime while selling drugs,
committing a robbery, burglary or other crime. Sometimes these attacks lead to further
escalation both on the street and in the jails. And, of course, they are reported in the newspapers,
television, radio, and internet adding to this feeling of insecurity.

In reality though, the good news is that county residents are still very safe compared to other counties.

There is a three-pronged approach to address gangs in our county. The first involves Prevention.
Law enforcement works with a variety of community -based partners that offer young people
alternatives to gangs including after-school programs, counseling, and recreational opportunities
throughout the county and cities. Schools districts, recreation departments, community-based
organizations, and law enforcement are among those organizations that provide positive alternatives
for children in our county. Police and Sheriff Athletic Leagues provide venues for law enforcement
and community members to volunteer their time in various sports activities for our kids. The
coaches also act as mentors for these youngsters.

There is also a Treatment component. Community based organizations, the County Probation
Department, and others offer gang intervention services and counseling to young people. Some
programs offer alternatives to incarceration in juvenile hall for less serious offenders and use
employment programs to teach good work habits and improve job skills.

The third component, and the one that most directly involves the police agencies, is Enforcement.
The community has to understand that gangs are a long-standing societal issue that cannot be
addressed by the police alone. However, whenever there are violent gang acts erupting in the
community, law enforcement has to react swiftly to address them. The county police agencies,
including the Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney, meet regularly and discuss recent gang incidents
in their various jurisdictions. This information sharing is vital since gang members move about
the county and across county lines. The District Attorney has dedicated prosecutors for gang cases.
The county Probation department and State Parole also share information with the agencies as
many of the active gang members in this county are on parole or probation.

To throw additional resources at the recent violence, the Santa Cruz Police, Sheriff’s Office,
District Attorney, and Probation department are forming an ad hoc gang task force to address
the recent street level gang activity in the county. This task force is a natural outgrowth of the
current gang meetings chaired by the Sheriff’s Office and will be implemented within the next
couple of weeks. It is similar in concept to other law enforcement activities where we collaborate
and lend assistance to one another, such as the BADGES traffic enforcement program. The officers
will be patrolling “hot spots” throughout the county and cities where gang activity has been observed.
It will put the gang members on notice that their violent acts will not be tolerated in our communities.

And, residents and visitors can be assured, despite these recent acts of violence, that the Sheriff’s
Office, District Attorney’s Office, and other police agencies all want to work with the local communities
to continue making Santa Cruz County a place where all people can live safely and without fear.