San Juan Capistrano Joins Anti-Gang Program

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — Ending a five-month holdout, the City Council this week voted unanimously to join Laguna Niguel and possibly Dana Point in the county’s Gang Prevention and Suppression Program.

The program will create a suppression team to identify and supervise gang members in the South County area, especially those on probation, said City Manager Stephen B. Julian.

He called it a start in combatting a growing problem.

“This is not a panacea,” Julian told the council while recommending it approve the program. “It will not solve all of our social ills.”

Julian urged the council to “further explore” another contract with Community Services Program Inc., a gang prevention program working with the city of San Clemente. Rather than targeting gang members, that program emphasizes counseling, Julian told the council.

To pay the $25,762-a-year cost for the suppression team, the council changed its contract with the Sheriff’s Department to reduce the number of hours for a parking control officer from 56 to 40 a month, according to a city report. The result would be a savings of $23,000 a year, the report said.