Holding the Fort Against Gang Violence : * Local Communities Must Continue Efforts, at Least Until Police Strategies Take Hold

When Orange County held its first “gang summit” late last year, there were laudable intentions all around. But there was also that uneasy feeling that intentions alone were not enough, and that there was a decided shortage of answers on what to do.

Now comes the unsettling confirmation of the obvious--merely talking about a problem is no guarantee that it will be solved. We are only a few months into a new year, and already county officials are delivering sobering news. The number of gang-related killings in Orange County is on a pace to equal or surpass last year’s record of 74. In the same breath, law enforcement officials are saying that it could be two years before their new anti-gang strategies even make a dent in the violence.

The good news is that the strategies that have worked at the neighborhood level, and which are providing a model and inspiration for larger countywide efforts, seem to be bearing some fruit.

Westminster’s TARGET (Tri-Agency Resources Gang Enforcement Team) reportedly has results showing a continuing decline in gang violence in the city since the program began two years ago. The county’s anti-gang program, a $2-million effort, is modeled on that very Westminster program.

It will dispatch teams of prosecutors and probation officers to troubled neighborhoods in Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Garden Grove, Orange, Santa Ana and South County. Already, one of two teams targeted for Santa Ana is in operation, and this month Anaheim and Orange are expected to begin the program too.

Not all the programs are even expected to be in place until June. Perhaps what is needed most is a measure of patience. What does matter for the short term is sustaining the commitment the community has made to attack the problem with meaningful programs.

The summit can be credited with nurturing that sense of urgency. The Orange County Gang Prevention Alliance has rolled up its sleeves. Things won’t change overnight. The expectation of instant results is unrealistic, as Doug Woodsmall, the county’s chief gang prosecutor, has suggested.

Unfortunately, even holding the line until the anti-gang strategies take hold will prove very difficult. The district attorney’s investigator, Lon Erickson, reports a proliferation of gangs, and an explosion of firearms to boot.

But at least the county has made an important commitment. That’s a significant development.