Anti-Gang Hot Line for Antelope Valley Started
A private anti-gang group has established a hot line in the Antelope Valley for people who want to report suspected gang activity or who need counseling or information about gangs and other youth-related problems.
Volunteers will pass along tips to the Sheriff’s Department from callers who wish to remain anonymous and direct those seeking help to appropriate programs, said organizer Bill Pricer, founder of a nonprofit group called Operation Gangwatch. Pricer, a minister, is a former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy.
The program has no direct connection to the Sheriff’s Department, but the department endorses the effort, Sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Shreves said.
Pricer said he hopes to work with a newly formed Lancaster citizens committee that was created to counter gang problems after the shooting death of a Lancaster high school athlete this month, the first high school student to die of gang violence in the Antelope Valley.
The tip and help line will begin operating next Friday at 805-266-HELP.
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