COMPUTER MAKES IT EASIER TO TRACK GANGS.

Byline: Bhavna Mistry Daily News Staff Writer

Since moving into their new station in Lancaster, deputies fighting gang crime have gained help from a new computer, color copier, volunteers and some breathing room.

The computer is part of a system tagged GREAT - for General Reporting, Evaluation and Tracking - that links Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department stations to the mainframe computer in anti-gang headquarters at Dominguez Hills.

``It's great,'' said Deputy Chris Haymonds, head of the Lancaster anti-gang detail. ``This thing has solved quite a few crimes.''

While the Antelope Valley deputies were using the same program in the old station, the computer there was outmoded.

``It didn't have enough memory or capabilities,'' Haymonds said. ``With this new computer, we'll be able to do a lot more.''

Over the next few months, Sheriff's Department volunteers will enter information on known gang members. That information will then be forwarded to the Dominguez Hills, where it can be accessed from any sheriff's station in the system.

``We can enter information on all known gang members: what gang they're from, what their moniker is, who their associates are, what areas they're known to frequent, if they are wanted suspects or any information we think is relevant,'' Haymonds said.

Deputies can use specific key words to check the data base.

``A lot of times we'll talk to gang members, but they'll only know the street name or a first name of someone we're looking for,'' Haymonds said. ``This way, when we enter that name, if it's in our computer, we'll be able to find them.''

Deputies will also be able to track gang members by their tattoos, entered in the data base, or other distinctive features.

As a new feature, the computer will also be able to scan in and store photos of gang members, Haymonds said. That process will begin after other available information on gang members has been entered.

According to Haymonds, there are 3,000 records on file for Antelope Valley gang members. He estimates there are almost 3,700 gang members in the valley.

Recently, the anti-gang detail has gained some volunteers who will help enter information into the computer system and work with the photos.

``We never had the space before,'' said Haymonds. ``In the old station, we had one desk for all of the gang detail. There was no room for anyone else.''

Computers in the GREAT system, used for about six years, are incompatible with one that Antelope Valley deputies previously used to track gang members. There is still a backlog of data to be entered into the GREAT system.

``It's going to take a long time to enter all that information,'' Haymonds said. ``We've gotten behind on some of our records.''

Now the gang detail has an office with four desks, file cabinets and some storage space.

``It's nice to have everything together and the ability to move around - instead of having me in one place, my files in another place, and the computer someplace else,'' Haymonds said.