REPORT SHOWS DECREASE IN TEEN CRIME : EAST NEWHALL RESIDENTS DISAGREE WITH DATA, SAY GANGS ARE ON RISE.

Byline: Sherry Joe Crosby Daily News Staff Writer

Residents of East Newhall are worried about increased juvenile crime, but sheriff's deputies say they've received fewer calls about teens and note that most local crime is caused by adults.

Of 111 calls from June 1 to Aug. 14, just 14 involved juveniles and gangs, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said. The rest involved family disturbances, disputes between landlords and tenants, alcohol-related incidents, loud music and parties.

That compares favorably to past summers when teen-agers caused far more problems, according to a sheriff's report to the City Council.

``I'm pleasantly surprised,'' City Manager George Caravalho said. ``It shows that what we're doing is working.''

But residents see a far different picture. They say young gang members are a threat and intimidate neighbors who are afraid to report them to sheriff's deputies. They complain of a profusion of liquor stores - five in a one-mile stretch - that draw teens who loiter around the pay phones outside where trouble brews.

``They're using drugs, drinking, writing on the walls,'' said Alicia Iniquez, a 17-year resident who has watched her neighborhood slide into disrepair over the years.

Neighborhood complaints have spurred the City Council to study crime in East Newhall. The council will review a report by sheriff's officials at its 7 p.m. meeting Tuesday in City Council chambers at 23290 Valencia Blvd.

Sheriff's officials say an aggressive campaign against youth crime, frequent patrols of the area and some neighbors who report suspicious activity have resulted in a lower juvenile crime rate.

Sgt. Lee White, who heads an anti-crime task force called COBRA, or Career Offenders Burglary Robbery Apprehension, which targets repeat offenders, said Santa Clarita has largely escaped major gang problems such as drive-by shootings because of its intense efforts to stamp out youth crime.

Gang members ``don't really cause me too many problems,'' White said. ``For the most part we're keeping an even keel.''

But White acknowledged the intimidation factor. He also said 15 to 20 new gang members are identified each year by investigators, and his department noted that the average age of a gang member has fallen from 14 to 12.

Some residents are afraid of reprisal and refuse to report shootings and other criminal activities, said White who watched a Neighborhood Watch group evaporate after gang members made threatening phone calls and broke the car windows of a group member.

``I have people who won't report shootings at night because they're afraid of retaliation,'' said White, who said local gangs are not as vicious as those in the San Fernando Valley.

Iniquez said she has called authorities to complain about the problems - but to no avail.

``I call police and they never show up,'' she said. ``Sometimes I call three or four times in one night.''

Sheriff's officials said they are doing the best they can. White said his COBRA unit has arrested gang leaders for numerous offenses, including burglaries, drug dealing and probation violations. And patrol cars cruise the area whenever possible.

``We're trying to remove (drug) pushers or (gang) recruiters any time we find them in the area,'' he said. ``We're putting away gang leaders on assaults, carrying knives and clubs. If they violate probation by hanging out with gang members it's still something we use.''

Jailing the leaders has helped reduce juvenile crime, White said.

``There are so many people concerned (about gang crime) that I don't think this will ever be a San Fernando Valley or Antelope Valley,'' he said.