The Region - News from Aug. 19, 1987

Citing increased gang-related violence in several areas of Los Angeles, Deputy Police Chief Jesse A. Brewer said he will require the 2,500 officers in the nine patrol divisions under his command to take extra training to step up the Police Department’s anti-gang efforts. He also said he will offer gang-awareness training to other law enforcement agencies, including the California Highway Patrol, the Rapid Transit District police, USC campus police and the security officers at some public housing projects. Police statistics show that the number of gang-related homicides in the South Bureau, which includes South-Central Los Angeles and San Pedro, has reached 43 this year, compared to 27 over the same period last year, and that a higher percentage of the victims were innocent bystanders. The nine divisions stretching from Highland Park through downtown to the harbor, Brewer said, have also begun posting photographs of the 10 most violent gang members in their communities and will be using probable cause, such as curfew violations, to arrest suspected gang members.