GRANT COULD HELP COMBAT YOUTH CRIME : POLICE SEEK TO COMBINE PROGRAMS.

Byline: Sherry Joe Crosby Daily News Staff Writer

Seeking to escalate its fight against juvenile offenders, the Santa Clarita Valley sheriff's station hopes to use a $302,182 state grant to form an umbrella agency encompassing youth-crime prevention programs.

Local sheriff's officials want to use the money to establish a program overseeing the Anti-Gang Task Force, Youth Alliance, Teen Court, Career Offenders Burglary Robbery Apprehension, Youth Activities League, and community and school resource deputies.

``We believe that our strategy will coordinate the investigation of youth crime and better direct our efforts toward prevention,'' said Lt. Tim Peters of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. ``Not only do we need to take care of gang crime but youth crime'' including burglary, petty theft and shoplifting.

The $302,182 is the city of Santa Clarita's share of funding from the Citizens' Option for Public Safety program approved in July by the Legislature. The city will receive its grant in October.

The grant, part of a $100 million statewide public safety program, is earmarked for county jails, police, sheriff and district attorney services.

The City Council will discuss the grant at its Tuesday meeting and arrange public meetings to discuss spending options, said Rick Putnam, director of parks, recreation and community services.

``We're pleased that $100 million has been set aside for this mandate to address crime, especially youth crime,'' city spokeswoman Gail Ortiz said. ``What we do today will directly influence what will happen tomorrow. If we don't, we'll see the ramifications of it.''

According to the League of California Cities, 80 percent of crime is committed by 13- to 22-year-olds, with 16- to 20-year-olds the fastest-growing crime group.

Santa Clarita has fought rising teen crime with youth-oriented programs such as Teen Court, in which juvenile offenders are judged and sentenced by their peers; and Youth Alliance, which coordinates social service and recreation programs to fight gangs, alcohol and drug abuse among teens.

Officials said the grant will help bolster those efforts.

``Those programs have been very successful,'' Peters said, citing Teen Court as an example. ``Teen Court brings teens before a body of their peers. We would like to expand that program.''

Without the grant, ``we'd simply be continuing with the programs we have now and probably not getting as creative as we could,'' said Putnam, who will seek public comment on the funds.

During the next several weeks, the city will hold public meetings to determine how best to use the grant.

``Since this is the Citizens' Option for Public Safety, we want the citizens involved,'' Putnam said.