EDITORIAL

The numbers are impressive.

Since 1998, gang-related crime in Costa Mesa has dropped 65%,

according to a recent police report. There were just 15 incidents during

the first five months of this year, compared to 46 two years earlier.

Even considering the recent drop in crime state- and countywide, Costa

Mesa’s improvement looks strong.

During the same two-year period, crime across the county dropped 7% in

1999 -- its lowest level since the 1960s -- and 13% in 1998. In the

state, last year’s decrease was 11%, following a 15% plunge the year

before. Crime nationwide is at its lowest in 25 years.

Costa Mesa police praise the efforts of the city’s gang detail, which

has existed for a decade. Dedicated to stamping out gang activity, these

officers work closely with a deputy district attorney and a probation

officer stationed in the city.

They also have increased community involvement. Having more officers

on patrol helps to break down some of the barriers created when residents

don’t know their police well.

These efforts are important because when gang-related crime does

happen, it almost never fails to strike harshly. Last year, for instance,

a 15-year-old West Side girl and her unborn child were killed, allegedly

by reputed gang member Eduardo Yepez Guerrero, 19, of Santa Ana. He has

pleaded innocent and is awaiting trial. He faces the possibility of a

life sentence without chance for parole.

Officials are quick to point out that these numbers can fluctuate

wildly. Given the relatively few crimes occurring in Costa Mesa, that is

certainly true. An increase of just 15 incidents, for instance, would

translate into a jump of 33% -- an ominous-sounding figure.

And officers are preparing for a possible crunch. Costa Mesa Police

Sgt. Clay Epperson, head of the department’s gang detail, points out that

by 2010, the city is expecting a 60% increase in youths ages 14 to 24 --

kids who have the greatest risk of joining gangs.

The good news is that police are already preparing for the possible

increase by putting together a program they hope will divert youth from

gangs to other activities.

Let’s hope it’s as successful as their efforts have been thus far.

For, as Epperson told the Pilot: “Any gang crime on your street is too

much.”