OPERATION HEATWAVE ANTI-GANG SWEEP TARGETS OFFENDERS IN NORTH HOLLYWOOD, SUN VALLEY MORE THAN 100 OFFICERS RAID DOZENS OF HOMES.

Byline: RACHEL URANGA

Staff Writer

NORTH HOLLYWOOD -- In an effort to beat back rising gang crime in the San Fernando Valley, more than 100 law enforcement officers raided the homes of dozens of gang members Friday in a pre-dawn sweep dubbed Operation Heatwave.

Carried out by federal and local officials, the raids come as gang crime, though flat across the city, continues to climb in the Valley.

"It's unfortunately like a sand castle: you build it and it takes a couple of waves but it's not a fortification that permanently knocks down crime," said Deputy Chief Michel Moore, head of the LAPD's Valley operations. "The individuals, the ones we arrested, some of them will be back out in these communities in a matter of days and weeks or months."

Officials raided dozens of homes in and around North Hollywood and Sun Valley, but only 12 people were arrested, including four juveniles on charges ranging from parole violations to suspicion of weapons possession.

Officers from the LAPD and Burbank along with federal, parole and probation agents targeted members of the North Hollywood Boys, 18th Street, Sun Valley Diablos, Vineland Boys and Clanton gangs and several tagging crews. They believe those arrested were so-called "shot callers" or among the area's most active street criminals.

Searching the homes of 58 gang members, taggers, career criminals and their families, officers found three guns, two machetes and several shaved keys used to steal cars. They also found an undisclosed amount of methamphetamine and marijuana.

At one point, a 17-year-old gang member jumped from a second-story balcony trying to escape from police, authorities said. He was wanted on a felony arrest warrant.

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, whose district includes North Hollywood, said the sweeps send a message to criminals that the Los Angeles Police Department is on watch 24/7.

"We are doing everything we can to bring back the kind of Valley that I grew up in where you could walk the streets and feel safe," she said.

But the problems don't seem to be going away.

Even though overall crime in the Valley has fallen this year, gang-related crimes climbed 6 percent in the first six months of this year compared with last year. Driving those trends are an increase in carjackings and attacks against LAPD officers.

The trend follows last year's 44 percent growth in Valley gang crime and comes despite the city's much-touted gang-suppression plan, including the creation of a violent-crime task force aimed at curbing the bloodshed.

Under the plan, the LAPD created a top-10 list of the most-wanted gang members and released a list of the 11 most-dangerous gangs.

Police Chief William Bratton assigned 50 extra officers to fight crime in the Valley, and last month Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa named Jeff Carr the city's gang czar, with a plan to launch new intervention efforts.

One positive sign is that gang-related crime in North Hollywood has decreased by 54.5 percent over the past four weeks, according to LAPD statistics.

On Friday, LAPD officials tried to build on that momentum, targeting gang members recently placed on probation and parole.

Officers hit the targets before dawn, trying to catch the gangsters as they slept. They raided homes in the area around North Hollywood and Sun Valley, where the LAPD recorded its biggest leap -- 27 percent -- in gang crimes this year.

"It makes a dent," said North Hollywood Division gang Detective Dan Fournier. "All these guys have extensive rap sheets. ... By doing this sweep, it takes 12 potential future felons off the street."

But crime experts say there's no proof the sweeps have any lasting effects.

"I don't know whether this works and I can't tell you they know because I have never seen any data," said Malcolm Klein, a leading expert on gangs and professor emeritus of sociology at the University of Southern California.

"These are all short-term activities taken in hot spots."

But for many who have attended funerals of those gunned down or who have been robbed at gunpoint, it makes a difference, police say.

"The community has told me at many meetings that the fear they have is the gangs," said Capt. Sharyn Buck, head of the North Hollywood Division. "We believe we got some of their key members."

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CAPTION(S):

4 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) LAPD Officers Cesar Gonzalez, left, and Lance Adair detain a suspect who jumped from his second-story apartment in North Hollywood during an anti-gang sweep Friday, authorities said. The suspect injured his head in the fall and was treated by paramedics.

(2 -- color) Weapons found at a home during Friday's raid are displayed. A dozen people were arrested, including four juveniles on charges ranging from parole violations to suspicion of weapons possession.

(3) LAPD officers order people to exit an apartment on Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood during a search for a suspect.

(4) Los Angeles County probation Officer Arbi Boghosian talks with a suspect Friday outside his home in North Hollywood.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer

Box:

Gang crime statistics

SOURCE: Los Angeles Police Department

Warren Huskey/Staff Writer