OFFICIALS EXPLORE JOINT EFFORT TO FIGHT LOCAL GANG PROBLEM.Byline: GIDEON RUBIN Staff Writer LANCASTER -- Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley lawmakers and law enforcement officials met Tuesday afternoon with prosecutors to discuss efforts to combat the area's growing gang violence problem in a collaborative way. Elected officials from Lancaster and Palmdale and county sheriff's station captains from both cities were among those who attended what Lancaster City Councilman Ron Smith Ron Smith may refer to:
Topics discussed at the 90-minute meeting in Lancaster City Hall included implementation of gang-specific prosecutorial pros·e·cu·to·ri·al adj. Of, relating to, or concerned with prosecution: "a huge investigative and prosecutorial effort" Lucian K. Truscott IV. tools, such as possible injunctions and community law enforcement and recovery and heightened enforcement and targeting programs. Smith said the meeting provided a setting for an exchange of ideas that established the groundwork for a more comprehensive approach to dealing with a problem that has some local residents living in fear. ``I think we all walked away from the meeting feeling that it was a success,'' Smith said. Smith, an injunction proponent One who offers or proposes. A proponent is a person who comes forward with an a item or an idea. A proponent supports an issue or advocates a cause, such as a proponent of a will. PROPONENT, eccl. law. , said the meeting was informative, noting he learned from officials with the county District Attorney's Office that such an injunction would require incorporated regions such as Lancaster and Palmdale to hire full-time prosecutors. An injunction would put restrictions on gang members' dress, ability to congregate con·gre·gate tr. & intr.v. con·gre·gat·ed, con·gre·gat·ing, con·gre·gates To bring or come together in a group, crowd, or assembly. See Synonyms at gather. adj. 1. Gathered; assembled. 2. publicly and impose a curfew curfew [O.Fr.,=cover fire], originally a signal, such as the ringing of a bell, to damp the fire, extinguish all lights in the dwelling, and retire for the night. The custom originated as a precaution against fires and was common throughout Europe in the Middle Ages. . The CLEAR program features hardcore gang prosecutors who target gangs that pose the greatest threat to communities. The similar HEAT program focuses on the most dangerous gang members, and problems associated with gang activity. Smith said a gang injunction A gang injunction is a court-issued restraining order prohibiting gang members from participating in certain activities. It is based on the legal theory that gang activity constitutes a public nuisance that prevents non-gang members from enjoying peace in their communities. has successfully been implemented in Victorville, a city whose gang problems exhibit similar dynamics as Lancaster's, noting that gang affiliation sometimes crosses racial and even traditional Bloods/Crips lines. Lancaster's council unanimously approved Smith's recommendation that city staff explore ways to impose a gang injunction. Once approved by lawmakers, an injunction would take at least nine months to enforce. ``We need to get going on this stuff,'' Smith said. ``It's war out there and every department and every government agency realizes that we need to turn this (problem) around.'' gideon.rubin@dailynews.com (661) 267-7802 |
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