Countywide : Officials to Team Up in Bid to Fight Crime

In an effort to prevent gang violence from growing in the county’s schools and communities, a group of 160 officials pledged Thursday to cooperate more closely and formulate action plans for their areas.

A half-day conference at the Irvine Marriott drew a wide range of people, including Sheriff Brad Gates, county Chief Probation Officer Michael Schumacher, FBI officials and the county’s police chiefs, school superintendents and high school principals.

The conference comes at a time when the number of violent crimes among juveniles in the county is rising. The conference’s sponsor, the Orange County Chiefs’ and Sheriff’s Assn., said it hopes to keep the violence from rising further by bringing people together.

“We realize this is potentially a very serious problem,” Irvine Police Chief Charles S. Brobeck said. “The communities have a lot of fear--not just adults, but the kids too.”

Some of the measures under consideration include monthly meetings between high school and law enforcement officials to share information on gang-related problems, institution of a dress code for schools to prevent students from being identified as gang members through their clothing and creation of more programs for parents.

In addition, Juvenile Court Judge Francisco P. Briseno reiterated his commitment to use laws allowing him to release identities of juveniles who have committed violent crimes.

“There was some excellent dialogue in there,” Brobeck, who served as the conference’s chairman, said later. “We are now on our way to addressing the problem with a unified front.”

During the conference, participants were divided into five groups corresponding to the county’s five judicial districts so they could discuss problems specific to their areas. Many committed themselves to meeting regularly and sharing information on particular gang members or programs.

Janis Jones, principal of Foothill High School in Santa Ana, said her group will be sharing information on potential problem students who might hop from one school to another, and will also examine the possibility of forming a regionwide school dress code.

This way, she said, the schools might eliminate potential gang problems brought on by identification of members through clothing, and such a regionwide policy would strengthen the efforts of the schools.

Countywide issues that will be examined include the amount of violence seen on television, Schumacher said. He said watching so much violence could desensitize students.

Gates, who came out of the conference with pages of notes, said it was good for officials to get together in such a large group.

“There’s a fear level among parents we didn’t realize in law enforcement until today,” he said. He also noted that teachers mentioned fearing to stay after school because they might be attacked.

Already, Gates said, people are talking about more programs to bring parents into the process and help break down the denial that often occurs when parents learn of their children’s gang involvement.

Santa Ana Police Chief Paul M. Walters said initiatives such as a database begun in January that tracks of gang violence throughout the county will help law enforcement and school officials combat the problem.

“The dynamics are unbelievable when you work together,” he said. In the months to follow, he added, the regional groups will continue to meet and report on their progress.

“We are becoming a much more urban county,” Walters said. “But we don’t want to have the problems of the other urban counties.”