A Raid’s Not a Tea Dance : Feds and local law enforcement crack down on some gangs

Following last Saturday’s ambitious anti-gang sweep through parts of South-Central Los Angeles, some local residents had choice words for police about conduct they considered heavy-handed. But even if errors were made, and no doubt some were, please consider:

1. Police operations on this scale are inherently complex and dangerous.

2. Even in the most carefully planned operations unfortunate incidents can occur.

3. Despite the inevitable risks, residents desperately want strong and aggressive law enforcement in neighborhoods plagued by violence.

Street gangs have operated with virtual impunity, terrorizing residents, for too long now in some sections of Los Angeles.

No one is more aware of the problem than residents of these communities. It is these Angelenos who are disproportionately the victims of gang violence. And it is they and their community leaders who more often than not have been greeted with lame official excuses when they demanded action commensurate with the city’s gang epidemic.

So no, last weekend’s raid was not without rough edges. But police were not exactly handing out traffic tickets. And some suspects weren’t about to go along quietly.

Law enforcement targeted the city’s most violent hard-core gang members. In all, more than 800 law enforcement officers participated in the raid, arresting 60 suspects and seizing large amounts of drugs and guns. The interagency operation was the culmination of an investigation that lasted more than two years.

Many South-Central residents were delighted by the enforcement action. Such operations--assuming they are done with as much care as possible--deserve praise, not condemnation.