Turning the Corner on Murder in O.C.

The causes of violence are many and often elusive. Police, prosecutors and sociologists puzzle over the reasons for a crime wave or its welcome opposite, a decrease in murder and mayhem. For Orange County, the year now ending has brought a long-sought plunge in the number of people killed. Whatever the cause, the result is worth giving thanks.

As The Times Orange County edition reported last week in a three-part series, 200 people were murdered in Orange County three years ago. After two years of slight declines, the total for 1996 will be a bit over 100. A key reason is a drop in the number of gang killings.

Two years ago, Anaheim had 17 gang killings. In a 13-month period that ended Nov. 10, the city had none. That’s the sort of occurrence that trims murder rates and makes people feel better about their community. Crime was the biggest concern of respondents to this year’s UC Irvine annual survey. Gangs unfortunately have the capacity to paralyze neighborhoods, making people afraid to leave their homes. That has a domino effect. Businesses close early. Movie theaters stay empty. Fear wreaks havoc on normal life, transforming the way we should live.

Areas of Santa Ana have known that paralysis well. A year ago, more than 40 homicides in the city were the work of gangs, police reported. In some areas gunfire echoed almost every night.

But this year the gang murder rate has been cut by about half. Santa Ana’s TARGET unit put nearly 200 violent gang members under active surveillance. TARGET, an acronym of the Tri-Agency Resources Against Gangs Enforcement Team, groups prosecutors, probation officers and police. Launched in several areas of the county a few years ago to crack down on gangs, the teams have done good work. This year’s TARGET effort in Santa Ana, for instance, led to more than half the gang members under surveillance being put behind bars. In many instances, the gang members were sent back to jail or prison for violating probation.

That is anticipatory police work and it is warranted. True, as most police realize, they need to be careful not to treat all young men in a crime-ridden neighborhood alike. Police need to be tough enough with those who don’t belong to gangs to discourage them from joining. But they do not want to be so unnecessarily tough as to alienate the young men whose support they may need, especially if they witness crime.

Police do not operate in a vacuum. They need assistance from the people they are protecting. That belief is reflected in the recent surge in community policing in numerous Orange County cities, as police actively solicit help from residents and patrol the streets on foot and bike and in squad cars, rather than waiting for crime reports to be called into headquarters. Community policing is a good notion and should help connect residents and police.

A troubling aspect of gang homicides is the difficulty in solving crimes committed by gang members. A dozen years ago police solved nearly 90% of the killings in the county. The murderer usually knew the victim, used a knife, fists or rope, and killed in the victim’s home. Witnesses were easily found and willing to testify. These days gang members intimidate witnesses, kill victims on the street or sidewalk and show no remorse. Only half the Orange County homicides are being solved these days.

The number of young men, who are most likely to commit violent crimes, is expected to grow greatly in the next two decades. Keeping young men out of gangs can help reduce the violence. Families, schools and community groups need to give the young alternatives to gangs. It will take a major effort, but it will pay off with a safer society.