In O.C., More Gang Deaths, Fewer Funds

Orange County recorded a sharp increase in gang homicides this year, at a time when some local police departments are scaling back their gang-suppression programs because of budget cuts.

Gang homicides -- which most police departments define as a killing that has some link to street gangs -- nearly doubled over the last year to 35, the most in five years, according to estimates from the district attorney’s office. Santa Ana led the way with 15, up from 10 in 2001. Anaheim recorded 11 gang killings, up from two a year ago.

The increases mirror a trend across California this year. Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer has singled out gang problems as a chief factor in the overall rise in homicides in the state. In Los Angeles, about half of the city’s more than 600 homicides this year are blamed by police on gang activity.

This is occurring at a time when some police departments are struggling to keep their focus on gang prevention. Officials said it’s impossible to know whether there is a connection between the cuts in gang programs and the rise in gang killings, which some blame on the poor economy and gang leaders getting out of prison. But they believe further budget cuts could hurt their ability to crack down on gang crimes.

In Santa Ana, for example, the Police Department has lost 25 sworn officers since March 2001 to early-retirement programs. And though the gang unit is still larger than those in most cities, it is much thinner than it was during the mid-1990s, officials said.

Detective Kevin Ruiz, a corporal who helps supervise Santa Ana’s gang unit, said the increase in homicides doesn’t tell the whole story. He notes that other types of crime involving gangs are down and that Santa Ana’s murder numbers are still a fraction of what they were in the early 1990s.

Still, Ruiz said, he would always welcome more money.

Participation in the countywide anti-gang task force, known as Target, is also declining. The unit comprises county probation officers, district attorney investigators and local police officers who team up to target gang leaders. Recently, at least three police departments -- Brea, Placentia and La Habra -- pulled officers off the team to fill holes elsewhere in their agencies.

“When you take these types of task forces down, you lose the intelligence, the constant pressure on gangs, and crime goes up,� said Fullerton Police Chief Patrick E. McKinley.

Another gang unit, the district attorney’s Regional Gang Enforcement Team, was shut down this year because federal grant money ran out. The award-winning task force brought together local, state and federal investigators to crack down on home-invasion robberies and other financial crimes committed by roving gangs.

The unit was formed in 1999 and was involved in several high-profile investigations, including the seizure of $5 million in counterfeit designer clothing in Westminster and the arrests of leaders of a West Coast drug ring. Scores of arrests were made for murders and other felonies.

“Everybody has cut way back, and the budget picture for next year is bleak,� said Larry Lambert, an investigator with the Orange County D.A.’s office, who is awaiting reassignment now that the special task force has been disbanded. “You can only drain the pot so far.�

Even agencies that have not cut back are seeing a rise in gang killings.

In Anaheim, murders nearly doubled to 17. Of those, 11 are believed to have involved a gang member.

Anaheim Sgt. Rick Martinez said the size of the Police Department’s gang unit has remained stable, and he has no explanation for the increase.

“I really don’t know why. I’ve been racking my brains over that,� Martinez said.

Some attribute the rise in gang homicides in part to the release of gang leaders imprisoned during the crackdowns of the 1990s, many of whom end up back in their old neighborhoods making trouble.

Gang violence in Orange County peaked during the recession of the early 1990s. Police departments without gang units established them, and those with existing teams increased their staffs. Armed with tougher laws, prosecutors sought to put gang members behind bars for longer periods.

Outreach programs were launched or strengthened by communities through police departments and social service groups such as the Boys & Girls Club, with the goal of identifying troubled youths and providing them a haven from gang neighborhoods and alternatives to criminal activities.

From 1993 to 2000, the number of gang-related homicides steadily declined in Orange County to 16 from an all-time high of 74. The trend began to reverse last year, but only slightly, when the total rose to 18. Though the numbers are small compared with big cities such as Los Angeles, they still alarm officials. Some see troubling parallels to a decade ago, when a spasm of gang violence that started in Los Angeles eventually spread to Orange County.

“It happened in Los Angeles, and it will happen here,� said McKinley, the Fullerton police chief. “Hopefully when the budget situation turns around, we’ll be able to put those things back in place.�

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Killings increase

OC gang deaths in ‘02, by city*

Santa Ana 15

Anaheim 11

Hunt. Bch. 3

Buena Park 2

Other 4**

* as of 12/20/02. Preliminary

** Stanton (Sheriff’s Department); Fullerton; Garden Grove; Westminster

Source: Orange County District Attorney