More Squads Join Fight Against Gang Colors : Police Commanders Declare: ‘When They Violate the Law, We Will Be There to Stop Them’

In an effort to continue pressuring local gangs, San Diego police announced Saturday that they have formed a new squad of uniformed and undercover officers to begin stopping known and suspected gang members and warning them that drugs, shootings and other criminal activities will not be tolerated.

Less than two hours after top police commanders held their first briefing with the new squad members, the officers were confronting gang members at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park, where police said about 30 youths gathered in the afternoon to display and flaunt their gang colors.

“We want to get the message out to the gangs in this town and to those who come into town that we won’t tolerate this activity,” said Deputy Chief Mike Rice. “When they violate the law, we will be there to stop them.”

“Our goal,” added Lt. Bill Howell, “is to make people safe on the streets.”

The new group was formed in response to a burst of gang activity late last month in which 13 persons were wounded or killed in drive-by shootings in just six days, most of them occurring in the city’s Southeast section.

Under the new program, officers will be sent to the streets seven days a week in the hope of finding individual gang members, either on foot or in cars. When suspected gang members are located, the officers will attempt to engage them in conversation.

If, during the conversations, the officers notice anything suspicious about the individual, he will be detained for further questioning.

Concerned about the increase in blatant criminal activities, police strengthened their street patrols during the three-day Memorial Day holiday weekend. That effort paid off as the gang crime rate dropped dramatically, the most serious incident occurring when two juveniles were wounded by gunfire. Police said they also found one stolen vehicle, one rifle and 4.3 grams of rock cocaine in routine police stops.

In addition, police said two felony and two misdemeanor arrests were made, 64 gang members were contacted by the increased patrols and 35 gang associates were also stopped.

“They knew we were out there, they were surprised and they didn’t like it,” Howell said. “Now with school getting out and the summer upon us, we’re going to keep it up.”

Howell said there are 1,800 individuals whom police have identified as gang members in San Diego. He said the members belong to four main gangs, which are made up of numerous splinter factions.

Rice said one of the primary goals of the new program is to cut off any movement of violent gang members from the Los Angeles area to San Diego.

“This is not a gang war here, like they’re having in Los Angeles,” Rice said. “Here, it appears to be random activity. It appears to be thrill-motivated. Apparently, people are impressed and they join gangs. They are people wanting notoriety.”

Howell said many gang members are readily noticeable, either by the colors they wear, their head scarves, the design of their tattoos, or other characteristics--all signs that the officers are seeking during the street details.

Asked whether the police stops were not tantamount to harassment and unconstitutional search and seizure, Howell said this kind of police activity has been upheld in the courts.

He also said that one purpose of the police contacts is to warn the gang members of the danger to their own safety from other gang members when they publicly parade their gang affiliations. He said that might persuade some gang members to keep off the streets.

“If they’re wearing a blue rag for instance, we’ll ask them why they’re wearing the blue rag,” he said. “We’ll ask them if they know what that means in Southeast San Diego.”

He added that the contacts also will result in police seizing an increased number of gang weapons and drugs.