Tacoma police announced East Side crackdown in wake of gang violence
The Tacoma Police Department has initiated a crackdown on the East Side in response to a flurry of gang-related violence.
They've added more officers to the East Side after Sunday's homicide and a handful of driveby shootings in this week. Here's the story I've written about the crack down.
Here's the press release sent out this afternoon by the department:
Five shootings, in the span of one week, have prompted the Tacoma Police Department to initiate an aggressive gang suppression strategy. The Tacoma Police Department is sending a clear message that gang violence in our community will not be tolerated.
Tacoma Police will use a two pronged approach in an effort to stop the increase in violence. The first prong will be a short term emphasis that targets the Eastside of Tacoma, the area where the recent incidents have occurred. The second prong will focus on the long term goal on reducing gang related crime in the City of Tacoma.
The short term solution will be to effectively focus resources from the Gang Unit, Community Liaison Officers, the Traffic Section, School Resource Officers, and the Special Investigations Section to suppress and disrupt violent gang activity.
The long term solution is to use suppression, intervention, as well as prevention techniques and strategies to reduce gang violence and the increase of gang recruitment.
The Tacoma Police Department recognizes that we are not the sole solution to stopping youth violence and is relying on cooperation from the community to assist us in solving this problem. Citizens with any information regarding the recent shootings or other gang related crime are asked to call the Tacoma Police Department Tip Line at (253) 594-7867, select option #2.
Here is another one from the Tacoma News Tribune:
Tacoma police announce crackdown after East Side gang violence
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STACEY MULICK; The News Tribune
Published: 07/17/09 2:57 pm | Updated: 07/17/09 3:12 pm
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Tacoma police commanders have moved more uniformed officers into the East Side after a recent flurry of gang-related trouble and a deadly shooting.
“We are going to do it until we feel we’ve had the impact to stop or decrease this more recent activity,” Assistant Chief Bob Sheehan said.
In response to the violence, the department:
* Moved its 17 community liaison officers to the East Side to work “high profile patrol.”
* Shifted the department’s 16 motorcycle officers to the East Side to be visible and respond to suspicious activity.
* Ordered detectives and undercover officers to gather information and intelligence to share with patrol officers and commanders.
* Asked the regional gang task force made up of officers from the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, Lakewood police and other local law enforcement agencies to focus on the East Side this weekend.
* Enlisted help from the South Sound Gang Task Force, which is headed by the FBI and has members from area law enforcement agencies, the state Department of Corrections and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The beefed-up patrols, which began Thursday, will work with Tacoma police officers on regular patrol and the department’s gang unit to clamp down on gang violence.
Gang-related trouble has been on the uptick in recent weeks but escalated after Sunday’s homicide and called for an immediate response, Sheehan said.
“Right now, because of the activity we are dealing with, we have to focus on suppression,” he said. “Our concern is the safety of the citizens of Tacoma and to suppress this gang activity.”
The fatal shooting happened in the 5500 block of East G Street, where Alrick Hendricks, 18, was killed during a confrontation in the street Prosecutors have charged Xavier Magana, also 18, with first-degree murder in the shooting.
The homicide had gang-related undertones, police said. The two teens had ties to East Side gangs, at least in the past, investigators said.
In the days since, police have responded to at least five gang-related drive-by shootings on the East Side and South End. No one has been injured, but property was damaged and residents saddened or frightened.
Gayle Reis, a longtime East Side resident, knew Hendricks and Magana and others who’ve been killed.
“I am just sad about our neighborhood,” she said. “We have kids dying all the time over here. How many of these do we have to go through?”
The spike gang violence came as the Police Department’s been working to revamp and bolster its strategic plan to fight the continued activity. Sheehan has been retooling the plan for the past few months and hopes to incorporate other city departments and community organizations to quell the gang activity and prevent more youths from veering toward that lifestyle.
The extra officers in the current crackdown are working their regular shifts and will respond to suspicious activity and help patrol officers. Sheehan wants them to be visible on the streets.
“People should see (the presence) out there,” he said.
The Police Department expects to soon receive federal grant money that will allow officers to work overtime on curfew enforcement missions and party patrols. Sheehan said the department also is in line for state grant money to work on gang enforcement.
“This will give us a one-two punch,” he said. “It’s going to be great to have that money.”
Sheehan is asking for the community’s help, too. He wants residents to report suspicious and criminal activity to the gang hot line at 253-594-STOP (253-594-7867).
He doesn’t want the gang outbreak to over take the East Side’s crime-prevention efforts. Earlier this year the city expanded its community-based services program in the neighborhood. The program provides services and advise to residents trying to clean up and fix issues in the neighborhood.
“We do not want them to take a step back,” Sheehan said. “We’ve got to stop (the gang violence) and make every effort to get control of it.”