May 30, 2008

Gang prevention focus of new police program

Mountain View decided to fund unit indefinitely

By Melanie Carroll / Daily News Staff Writer

Shrinking budget or not, Mountain View is focusing on preventing gang activity and spending money to prove it.

Starting in July, the city is launching a Youth Services Unit inside the police department, complete with a new sergeant to lead the effort, a full-time officer and counselors to talk with kids who may be at risk of joining gangs

In contrast to the existing Gang Suppression Team, the new unit will focus on preventive measures.

Council Member Margaret Abe-Koga said that when gang activity increases, law enforcement typically responds with suppression efforts.

The new initiative is designed to target would-be gang members at an earlier age by proactively contacting them and through park and neighborhood patrols, intervention home visits, and other outreach.

The new program will cost about $180,000 a year, said City Manager Kevin Duggan.

The city council voted Tuesday night to fund the program on an ongoing basis. The $180,000 will cover the salary and benefits of the new sergeant and additional staff transferred to the unit from within the department. As a result, someone will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to deal with gang-related issues, said Liz Wylie, a spokeswoman for the police department.

State grants will pay for the counseling services.

Mountain View was the only city in Santa Clara County to receive a grant from the California Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention Program, or CalGRIP, program. Such grants are to be used statewide for gang intervention, suppression and prevention. Mountain View's $162,000 share of the state grant will pay for two part-time counselors over three years.

"We hope to get more grant money" to fund the program in the future, Abe-Koga said. Other Bay Area grant recipients were Oakland and San Francisco.

The Youth Services Unit will include the police department's two school resource officers who work at local schools with students.

Abe-Koga said her daughter attends Marion Castro Elementary School, reputed to be ground zero for gang activity.

"If you see the kids, they're great," Abe-Koga said. "They just need some guidance and positive role models."



E-mail Melanie Carroll at mcarroll@dailynewsgroup.com.