SOUTHEAST AREA : 4 Cities Team Up to Fight Gang Crime

Four area police departments have teamed up to fight gang activity in what authorities said is their first coordinated effort to address the problem.

The Southeast Area Gang Project calls for stepped-up prosecutions, more thorough tracking of probationers, counseling for gang members and their parents and after-school programs to acquaint elementary school students with police officers.

South Gate, Huntington Park, Bell and Maywood police, who will work with county, state and federal authorities, said the three-year project is a response to persistent gang-related crime.

As much as 45% of all crime committed in the four cities and Bell Gardens is gang-related, according to authorities who were polled for the project. Last year, 80% of the 53 murders in the five cities were gang-related, according to the project proposal. Bell Gardens was included in the proposal but chose not to participate.

“We won’t put up with any loitering or killing,� said Bell Detective Adrian Punderson, who co-wrote the plan. “We want (gang members) to understand that if they choose to do that, we will take a no-tolerance attitude.�

There are more than 50 gangs in the four cities, with an estimated membership of 8,000, Punderson said.

In all, 12 agencies are involved in the project, which will cost about $2.3 million over three years. The state Office of Criminal Justice and Planning has provided a grant of nearly $1.5 million. The remaining costs are being paid by the cities and agencies involved in the project in the form of salaries, benefits and equipment.

Seven officers from the four police departments and one from the Rapid Transit District police have been assigned to investigate gang-related crimes, patrol the area in unmarked cars, ride buses and keep ongoing contact with gangs. The law enforcement units are known collectively as the Metro Gang Task Force.

The officers, along with agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, will also conduct undercover operations to prevent drug and weapons sales. Stores that sell alcohol and spray paint to minors also will be the target of sting operations.

“We’re (the cities) all so small that none of us individually can mount a consistent, sustained task force,� Maywood Police Chief Ted Heidke said.

The county has assigned a full-time probation officer to the program, and the state Parole Office will provide information to help local officials track parolees. The District Attorney’s Office has assigned a full-time prosecutor to handle all project cases.

But authorities said they also hope to give troubled youths an opportunity to turn their lives around--and avoid further contact with law enforcement. Some of those who commit misdemeanors will be referred for counseling, and elementary schools will provide after-school supervision where youths can become acquainted with police officers.

“We need to do whatever will work,� Bell Police Chief Jim Edwards said. “Our objective is to turn around those who we can and stop them before they get entrenched in the gang lifestyle.�