ANAHEIM : Broad Anti-Drug Strategy Urged

An Orange County church organization wants the city to develop a multifaceted strategy using its parks, library system and police to turn back mounting gang and drug problems.

“People are saying this area is becoming more like downtown Los Angeles or Detroit,” said Chuck Carey of the Orange County Congregation Community Organizations. “Ninety percent of the people (in member congregations) say crime is increasing, as is gang activity and drug use.”

Carey said the organization will be seeking a public commitment from the city at a meeting Monday at First Presbyterian Church of Anaheim.

Organization officials said they interviewed congregation members and found that many fear the crime rate is on an upward spiral.

For potential answers to the city’s problems, organization leaders say, municipal officials need only look to San Diego, where there is a proposal to add the parks and library systems to the city’s crime-fighting efforts.

Carey said the congregation organization has forwarded the San Diego plan, outlined in a report in March, to Anaheim officials.

“The police are only one part of this,” Carey said.

According to the San Diego plan, the libraries could be tapped to provide more education programs. The parks, meanwhile, could provide more structured entertainment activities geared to young people and determine whether the operation hours allow children to take advantage of existing activities.

“We’re talking about the overall quality of life,” Carey said. “Anaheim has talked about it (creating a crime-fighting strategy) but never really pulled it all together.”

Chris Jarvi, director of the Anaheim Parks and Recreation Department, said his department is already involved in two youth programs aimed at deterring gang activity and drug abuse. One of the programs, Project Save, is a cooperative effort with the Salvation Army, YMCA and local school districts.

The other program, Kids in Action, is a federally funded effort to be managed by the city. Jarvi said the program will attempt to boost the self-esteem of younger children through outreach programs at local playgrounds.

“People are frustrated with a city government that gives higher priority to a new sports arena and the development of the Disneyland area than to problems that threaten their families,” Carey said.

The federation of 18 church congregations in Orange County is sponsoring Monday’s meeting, which begins at 7:30 p.m.