Joint Anti-Gang Effort Hits the Mark : * TARGET Program Involving County, Westminster Should Be Tried in More Cities

The county district attorney’s office, Probation Department and Westminster police are doing a good job with their innovative program to crack down on the toughest, most dangerous gang members. Other Orange County cities that have scaled-down versions of the program would be wise to study it and imitate it where possible.

Known as the Tri-Agency Resource Gang Enforcement Team, or TARGET, the program began in January of 1992 to identify the leaders of the key gangs, prosecute them for crimes, and get tougher prison terms. So far it appears to be working.

TARGET teams two police detectives, a deputy district attorney, a probation officer and an investigator, plus support staff, into a unit that is described as the first of its kind in California. Some caution may be in order when reading the report released this month on the first year of the program, since it is based on statistics provided by the unit itself and the early operations got a boost from previous good work by Westminster police. Also, the initial enthusiasm and impressive results may not be sustainable.

But the early results are startlingly good. The group finished 50 cases involving 76 defendants by the end of last year. All 76 gang members were found guilty. The report says that while there is a common perception that most victims of gang crimes are members of other gangs, in the Westminster prosecutions, most victims had no gang ties.

The program also represents a laudable response to a 1991 county grand jury warning of increased criminal activity by Asian gangs in Westminster. The TARGET team members identified 1,766 gang members belonging to 63 gangs operating in Westminster, and singled out and prosecuted two dozen leaders they felt were the most prone to violence.

Gangs are a major problem in the county, and it will be important to sustain the good teamwork shown in the TARGET program.