Agencies discuss gangs

Discussed needs and solutions

MOSES LAKE - More than 50 people attended the gang task force meeting in Moses Lake Thursday afternoon.

The group discussed gangs in the schools and how they affect the community.

The task force was developed by the Legislature to meet with communities to determine methods to eliminate gangs, to prevent new gangs from forming, ways for schools and law enforcement to share information and ways to gather gang intelligence, said Tyson Vogeler, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction program supervisor.

The task force will use the information to make recommendations to lawmakers to combat gangs.

Grant County Sheriff Deputy Joe Harris said there is no determined criteria to identify gang member-involved crimes like there is for a burglary or an assault. He said there should be a blanket definition of what constitutes a gang crime for charging purposes.

"It's difficult to track them," Harris said.

Law enforcement has trouble obtaining funding and resources to stop gangs because there is no state definition of what a gang crime is. Although law enforcement knows there is a problem, they are unable to make a case to obtain grants.

Harris said it's problematic to share information between other law enforcement agencies and school districts due to certain stipulations prohibiting the passage of some information. He said those stipulations need to be removed so they can work better together.

Moses Lake Police Officer and School Resource Officer Tom Tufte said when he receives information about potential gang activity at the school level, he is able to pass some information along via e-mail.

Moses Lake Police Officer Richard Francis said he agreed with Harris that it should be easier to pass along information.

Vogeler said agencies are able to exchange information if they form official threat assessment teams. The teams determine if the threats, verbal and non-verbal, are a risk to the school. If it's a threat, more information can be dispersed than usual.

Francis said gang members are an issue for the legal process too.

He recalled when an adult gang member was in court for an assault charge. A 16-year-old gang member came forth and claimed he did the assault, even though he didn't do it, in an effort to keep the adult from going to jail and to maintain his status in the gang, Francis said. The incident resulted in lesser charges for the adult.

He said there needs to be consideration toward placing some focus on eliminating adult gang members who prey upon youth for recruitment.

Spokane Public Schools Director Wendy Bleeker said there are no early intervention programs for young children like there is the D.A.R.E. drug prevention program. She said children learn about what gangs are through word of mouth and by seeing older gang members with money and cars. The lifestyle becomes appealing to children who do not have those same things, Bleeker said.

The group also discussed possible solutions to help recognize and suppress gangs.

Harris said he provides training within the school districts in Grant County so others can learn a basic history about gangs, gang culture and how gangs are identified. He teaches a holistic approach concerning education, suppression and prevention.

"You need to know what it is that you're seeing," he said.

Harris said he is willing to find someone to conduct training for school districts in other counties and if he can't find someone, he will do it himself.

Wahluke High School Assistant Principal Gerald Eilers said we worries about informing teachers how to identify a gang member without having a solution in place concerning what to do with them. He said he does not want to see teachers removing students from their classrooms for being gang members. If the juvenile gang members are removed from school, they are put back on the streets where the adult gang members want them, Eilers said.

"We need gang intervention in the schools," he said.

Eilers often finds himself just talking with gang members to make them stop their activity within the school and has seen some progress.

Bleeker said in North Carolina they had enormous success stopping gang activity with community intervention.

She said for a period of time, gang members were videotaped doing crimes such as graffiti or drug deals. The gang members were invited to a community meeting where they all attended. Community members and law enforcement told them they were aware of what they were doing and wanted them to stop, Bleeker said. When the gang members denied it, they were shown the footage and confronted further. She said due to that meeting, the gang activity nearly stopped.

Francis said they need to find a way to get the community involved before gang activity reaches a crisis level. He said people don't realize there is a gang problem.

The next meeting takes place in Spokane.