Costa Mesa gang crime plunges 65%

Deepa Bharath

COSTA MESA--Gang-related crime here has plummeted by more than half

this year and by 65% compared with two years ago, according to a city

report.

Police officials cite stringent enforcement and active community

programs over the last two years for the decrease.

Gang-related crime is down 60% from 1999 levels and by 65% compared

with 1998, the report shows. Only incidents in the first five months of

each year were taken into account.

The report includes different types of crimes committed by gang

members that have a direct affect on the community, such as assaults,

driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, weapon violations and

vandalism.

The report shows there were 46 gang-related incidents during the first

five months of 1998. That number was down to 15 this year.

The decrease is largely because of the amount of time and resources

the Police Department has dedicated to dealing with gangs, said Sgt. Clay

Epperson of the gang detail.

“We started the gang detail before we had a significant gang problem,”

he said. “That helped us over the last 10 years, when there was extreme

gang violence in all of Southern California.”

Developing closer relations with residents also has helped officers in

preventing gang violence, Epperson said.

“We’ve tried to maintain a constant presence in the neighborhoods,” he

said.

Helping gang members through the legal process has shown the community

that officers are genuinely concerned about the problem, said Police

Chief David Snowden.

The Police Department has a program called “vertical prosecution” in

which gang detail officers work with a deputy district attorney and a

probation officer stationed in Costa Mesa. All work with gang members

from the time of their arrest through their court appearances.

The department also provides referrals for counseling.

“This program shows people we care,” Snowden said. “It tells them they

have the option to change and become a better citizen.”

With their success, gang detail officers now are turning their

attention to preventing young people from joining gangs, Epperson said.

But it is not going to be an easy task, he said.

“Research shows the high-risk age is 14 to 24,” Epperson said. “And

that age group in our city is going to increase by 60% by the year 2010.”

To prepare for the growth, the Police Department is putting together a

plan to divert young people from gangs to sports and educational

programs, Epperson said.

Even then, they would still have the “enforcement hammer hanging over

their heads,” he said.

“But now that we’ve beaten down the problem,” Epperson said, “we can

focus on proactive measures.”