Ganging Up Against South County Gangs : * Police and Community Leaders Must Team Up to Win

Many residents who have flocked to carefully planned new housing tracts in South County thought they had left behind gang activity associated with older communities to the north. But the rise of gangs has become a major issue in cities, school districts and in neighborhood groups in some of these communities. Last month, for example, gang members who police said were looking for a fight shot and killed a member of a San Clemente gang after a brawl spilled out into the parking lot of a Chinese restaurant.

The city councils of San Juan Capistrano, Laguna Niguel and Dana Point are worried enough about the spread of gang activity southward that they have voted to share the costs of a new county anti-gang program. Probation officers will work with sheriff’s deputies to arrest known gang members found to be violating terms of probation. And other efforts at education and prevention are being undertaken.

These are positive steps, indicative of a new willingness to learn the lessons of older suburban communities by recognizing early on the symptoms of developing gang problems and addressing them. But there should be no misunderstanding about the task ahead. Simply because communities are moving quickly to acknowledge a problem with gangs in a relatively new area does not mean that the problem will go away. As San Clemente Mayor Candace Haggard has said, “This is not something that is going to be solved overnight.”

But there are noteworthy things being done around the southern part of the county. Others are recognizing the value of an ounce of prevention.

Irvine police have recommended a coordinated approach that would add seven new officers to handle anti-gang activities and involve the school district and community groups. A recent report found that while the city’s gang problems are small, they are growing. The police want to add an officer to teach anti-drug and anti-gang classes at Irvine’s four high schools. They also want to work with parents and schools, and to encourage constructive after-school activities.

All these solutions, in Irvine and elsewhere, will cost money. In tight times, even good preventive programs may have to wait. But since much of the anti-gang work is preventive, these communities will have to weigh what it is worth to them to have that ounce of prevention.

The signs, where they occur, are serious enough. The outbreak of violence in South County prompted Supervisor Thomas F. Riley to launch the South County Gang Awareness and Prevention Task Force, a group of community leaders, educators, law enforcement officials and PTA representatives. That committee warned that there would be more victims of gang activity in the future--a significant problem, not just for gang members but for innocent bystanders.

Here are some of the other noteworthy things that are being done in the southern part of the county as well: Dana Point will enforce strictly its nuisance abatement ordinance to combat drugs and gangs. Mission Viejo has a graffiti hot line. San Clemente has opted to set up a gang detail in the Police Department, and has hired a private firm to provide gang education.

The involvement of schools and law enforcement officials is crucial. Unfortunately, South County wants action just as money for such good causes is being cut back. But creative solutions do not always have to cost money; they can be part of overall community resolve that must begin in homes and classrooms.