Santa Ana’s Strong Start

The men and women living in a Santa Ana neighborhood not too far from the Civic Center for years have been afraid to go outside at night, even while crime supposedly was decreasing across Orange County.

One problem was the crime they feared was the work of gang members, an especially tough type of lawbreaking to reduce, let alone eliminate. Yet Santa Ana had racked up some successes, including a dramatic drop in gang-related homicides in the previous six years.

Still, in the area running along the west side of the Santa Ana River and the city’s borders with Fountain Valley and Garden Grove, the streets were dangerous. There was occasional gunfire and all too frequent drug deals.

This month Santa Ana police, accompanied by FBI agents, took steps to restore a sense of normalcy to the neighborhood. Hundreds of law enforcement personnel fanned out to arrest more than 100 suspected drug and weapons dealers.

Residents welcomed the raids. But some wondered how long the streets would be safe.

It’s a question police and city officials said they expected to hear. Their pledges of corrective action are appropriate and welcome. But they have to match deeds to the words.

The city needs to get the graffiti off the sidewalks, buildings and fence posts. The scribblings mark the territory of the gangs that claim sovereignty. The city needs to launch more after-school programs for local youth, providing activities and a safe place to conduct them. Police need to keep the heat on.

These improvements can be undertaken without breaking the bank. There are federal funds available to help police and city officials in low-income municipalities like Santa Ana. Indeed, the police force has made use of such funds in the past and the city has received federal help in developing empowerment zones to lure businesses and badly needed jobs.

Police made the arrests after a months-long investigation and presentations to a specially impaneled Orange County Grand Jury. The grand jurors spent weeks listening to testimony from police officers specializing in anti-gang operations and viewing videotapes of illegal drug and weapons purchases. As the cases proceed toward trial, those videotapes could help persuade a judge that the surveillance was proper and violated no constitutional rights.

Nearly six years ago, police took more than 100 people into custody in a similar crackdown. That one was marred by the arrests of several people who had done nothing wrong. Also likely to be challenged is the credibility of an informant, a former gang member and ex-convict, whom police used to infiltrate gangs and make illegal purchases. However, courts have upheld the use of informants under properly supervised conditions.

Police said they learned from mistakes made in the 1994 gang crackdown and avoided them this time. If the courts agree, it will be an achievement worth celebrating. Santa Ana residents should be able to use the nearby park and walk to neighborhood stores any time of the day or night without fear.

The gang targeted this time was different from the one police cracked down on in 1994. But gangs then and now commit crimes, recruit new members and make neighbors fearful.

A concerted effort in a number of Orange County cities has reduced the gang problem in recent years. The Santa Ana neighborhood by the river was one of the last to benefit. But the benefits must be made long-lasting. Police sweeps, city programs, assistance from civic groups and churches all would help.

Residents of the area targeted nearly six years ago say their neighborhood has shown dramatic improvement. It’s a model police and city officials say they intend to follow, to bring peace to another area of Santa Ana. Dramatic efforts can bring results, but the steady, long-term work that Orange County law enforcement officials have done in recent years in a number of cities is the surest strategy over time.