LAPD TURNS UP HEAT AGAINST GANG LEADERS.

Byline: Jesse Hiestand Daily News Staff Writer

With resigned shrugs and slow shuffles, two gang members in droopy pants decided they'd better heed LAPD Officer Rick Tompkins' command to face an iron fence and put their hands behind their head.

In just a single weekend last month, gang-related homicides had claimed four lives in Pacoima and North Hollywood, and now Tompkins said word on the street is that retaliation is imminent.

With that in mind, Tompkins searched the shaven-head youths carefully for weapons and then verified their gang affiliations.

It was a familiar drill, one that Tompkins said is meant to send an indelible message: These streets belong to hard-working residents, not thugs, and the police will not relent.

Six more anti-gang officers started patrolling the Northeast San Fernando Valley last week with the express purpose of targeting gang leaders in a yearlong crackdown.

Foothill police Capt. Stan Ludwig, who was riding with Tompkins that evening, said arrests of gang members have risen sharply since the new officers from the Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums unit hit the streets.

``It's really a war of will and energy,'' he said. ``There's going to be zero tolerable for gangs.''

No guns or knives found, Tompkins turned his attention to the safety of the young men themselves. That recent weekday evening they were loitering at dusk at the Cayuga Avenue spot where Eddie ``Dopey'' Marquez had been killed by rival gangsters in a March 15 drive-by shooting.

``You guys didn't learn anything that night?'' Tompkins asked. ``You were standing in the same place Dopey got shot. You ought to use your head. I don't want to come down here and put a blanket over you too.''

Gone were the candles and religious icons at the street shrine for 21-year-old Marquez, but still fresh was the memory of his death and those of three others killed by gangs that March weekend.

Out of concern for their safety, Tompkins warned the gang members and the three girls with them to leave the area, which they did, albeit grudgingly.

Violence begets violence

More than anything else, memories of fallen gang members lead to more violence, and often it is indiscriminate, claiming the innocent. With an estimated 70 to 80 gangs in the Valley and a total of 8,000 to 12,000 identified members, police know they can strike anywhere.

``There's so many kids in the gangs who want trigger-time, who want to do something for their gang to show that they're not some little guy,'' Tompkins said. ``They'll do what they need to do to get that fear and respect.''

Marquez was shot out of revenge for an earlier gang killing, and most of the recent violence in Pacoima can be traced to a party in December where a gang member was beaten to death at the raucous gathering of several gangs, he said.

The spate of killings in mid-March drew a swift and heavy response from the LAPD's chief anti-gang CRASH unit. And then the elite Metro unit was called in to help.

Shortly after the shootings, five CRASH patrol cars swooped down on up to 15 targeted areas each day, a police helicopter overhead, as officers en masse sought out probation and parole violators and wrote tickets for public drinking and other infractions.

``You have to take them when you can get them,'' Ludwig said.

The effort netted several arrests and is credited by police commanders with putting a lid on a possible gang war - at least for now.

Retaliation predicted

Gang members in Pacoima have been lying low in the past two weeks, but the lull in gang violence may be deceiving, said Tompkins, a four-year CRASH veteran who speaks with a slight Boston accent and knows many of the local gang members by face or moniker, if not always by given name.

What anti-gang officers are hearing is that some Pacoima gangs are gearing up for a new campaign of violence, as perhaps is evident by the alliances being formed among disparate groups of street criminals.

``When they get together, usually it indicates they want more firepower or manpower to take care of a problem,'' Tompkins said.

One goal of this effort is to regain control over the San Fernando Gardens housing project, home to some 250 gang members and hundreds of frightened residents, he said.

Gang busting

Tompkins navigated an unmarked gray Crown Victoria through the narrow streets and alleys of this time-worn project, throwing a friendly wave to kids playing kick ball and piercing stares at gang members. Two gang-related homicides here in the past four months remain unsolved, and Tompkins grew suspicious when a man darted into hiding at the sight of police.

The 33-year-old officer leaped out of the car to question a self-described gang member known as ``Flaco,'' who could not explain why his friend had run away. Somewhat indignant, Flaco raised his oversized sweat shirt and said, ``You've already seen my tattoos at the station man.''

Indeed, CRASH officers spend much of their time identifying gang members and taking note of distinguishing features like tattoos, scars, monikers, vehicles, associates and hang-outs.

This information can prove critical during investigations of assaults or murders, especially when witnesses or possible informants are reluctant to come forward, he said.

Many gangsters, on the other hand, freely declare their gang affiliation when questioned by police, he said. CRASH officers develop good leads by simply engaging gang members in informal street-side conversations.

``You really have to dig, to ask question after question, and they will get confident and start to boast and let something slip,'' he said.

A threatening look from one of three men walking down residential Louvre Street brought Tompkin's patrol unit to a screeching halt. The man took off on foot, leaving two friends to face a battery of questions from officers.

``I don't want to go to jail,'' said one young man with a wide grin, nervous look and baggy flannel shirt. ``I have a son that's my pride and joy. I've got him right here,'' he added, tapping a tattoo on his right shoulder.

Suddenly, the man's anxious mother showed up. Ludwig led her aside and tried to calm her by explaining that the detention of her son was ``just talking, ma'am.''

The young man told Tompkins he was on probation for a drug possession conviction but, with no evidence of a fresh crime, Tompkins allowed him and a friend to walk away.

Probation and parole enforcement is a powerful tool for police anti-gang efforts, Tompkins said.

Police have more latitude to search a person on probation, or his property, without seeking consent. Even relatively minor crimes like giving police a false name can violate terms of probation and send someone back to jail for up to a year, he said.

With many gang members in the Northeast Valley, patrol officers find themselves in this battle as well.

Earlier this month, officers on patrol in Pacoima believe they thwarted a drive-by shooting when they stopped a car driving slowly through a gang's turf, he said. A passenger took off running and, although he was not caught, officers recovered two discarded handguns.

On this weeknight, though, there were no raging gang parties or drive-bys. Instead, Tompkins and Ludwig repeatedly cruised San Fernando Gardens, where so many gang members have been shot in the past few months that they're like ``professional victims,'' seething with anger and likely plotting revenge.

``The situation right now is very fluid, very unsettled,'' Ludwig said. ``If we just sit back and let things happen, we're going to be in a lot of trouble.''

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PHOTO LAPD Officer Rick Tompkins questions a gang suspect at the San Fernando Gardens housing project. Six more anti-gang officers started patrolling the Northeast San Fernando Valley last week with the express purpose of targeting gang leaders in a yearlong crackdown.

Gus Ruelas/Daily News