Unit to Fight South County Gangs Approved

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved the formation of a gang-suppression unit to combat rising gang activity in South County.

The supervisors’ approval cleared the way for the county’s Probation Department to negotiate with city officials in Dana Point, Laguna Niguel and San Juan Capistrano to share the costs of the program.

Each city will be asked to contribute $27,400 to pay for the unit’s personnel--a deputy sheriff and a probation officer. The county will share half of the program’s costs, according to Marilyn Brewer, an aide to Supervisor Thomas F. Riley.

Riley’s office had proposed a separate gang-suppression unit for the three cities and unincorporated areas in South County after a task force commissioned by the supervisor reported that gang crimes were on the rise. The report also warned that the “victim population” in South County would increase if the gang problem continued to escalate.

On Tuesday, Riley sent letters to city council members of the three cities, asking them to support the program.

“I believe that this (program) has the best possible chance of halting gang activity in South County before a stronghold is established,” Riley said.

Riley is hoping that the cities expedite approval of the funds for the program, Brewer said.

“We feel that we have appropriately stated our case (for a suppression unit),” Brewer said. “Now, it’s up to the cities.”