Grant Co. has a gang problem, but parents can protect children, police say

MOSES LAKE — Every community in the Columbia Basin is affected by gang activity to one extent or another. While recruiting efforts by gangs work to bring children in at very young ages, that doesn’t mean that parents and communities don’t have tools to fight the issue. 

“It is difficult to rate a gang issue, other than to say any gang issue is a significant problem for any jurisdiction. Moses Lake has had gang issues, to varying degrees, over my entire career whether we were allowed to admit it or not. Just like anything else, as the City grows the gang issues have grown with it. However, Moses Lake is not unique or alone. Wenatchee, Spokane, Tri-Cities, the Yakima Valley, we have all experienced, and in some cases share, gangs and gang members,” said Moses Lake Police Chief Dave Sands. 

While attending a recent meeting of the Moses Lake Community Coalition recently, Sands said he heard information from various studies on issues affecting the region’s youth. Among those findings is that parents are the most trusted and influential people in their children’s lives.  

Grant County Sheriff Joey Kriete said the majority of gang members within Grant County are in factions of two specific gangs, the Norteños and the Sureños. Female gang members of the respective groups are referred to as Norteñas and Sureñas, respectively. The Norteños are loyal to the Nuestra Familia, favor red, and their graffiti is usually associated with the number 14 in some way as a reference to N being the 14th letter of the alphabet.  In contrast, the Sureños favor blue, the number 13 and the letter M and is loosely associated with the Mexican Mafia group.  

Each of the two larger groups has smaller subsets known as cliques or sets, Kriete said.  

“Every community is affected in some form or another when it comes to gang activity. In Quincy that activity ebbs and flows from a variety of factors, and we primarily see it in the form of graffiti,” Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green told the Columbia Basin Herald via email. “It is essential to remove graffiti as soon as possible so that it will not be defaced from rival gangs.” 

While local gangs can also be violent such as in drive-by shootings like the recent one in a Desert Aire park or the shooting during this year’s Grant County Fair, their members tend not to direct things at the general public, Kriete said. In the majority of gang violence incidents, the target is a rival gang member, though innocent bystanders are injured in incidents as well, one example being the girl who was shot during the fair incident because she was standing near the suspect. 

“Gang violence typically involves firearms, as seen in the many drive-by shootings that have happened in Grant County,” Kriete said. 

Acknowledging that children are impacted by gangs is important, Kriete said. National research shows that gang members generally range in age from 13 to 24, though gang members may be as young as 9 years of age. About 90% are boys, with young women and girls making up the remaining 10%.  

Recruitment efforts by criminal gangs are often directed at youth, especially those in challenging personal situations. Some of the young people being recruited have parents or other family members who are in the gang or simply haven’t been provided with other options at a young age.  

“There’s a public misunderstanding about gangs, especially when it comes to the ages of gang members. The public believes that young gang members are “wannabes,” meaning they aspire to be gang members, when in fact they are full-fledged members of a gang,” Kriete said. 

Sands said one of the key things is to ensure that young people know they’re cared for and have something to point them in a positive direction. 

“If a parent is concerned their child is heading down a path toward gangs, there are some options depending on membership requirements and the ages involved. The Latino Civic Alliance runs a program in Grant County to help families and individuals that are looking for help and are committed. The Columbia Basin Job Corps has fantastic programs to help youth move forward, although there are age requirements, rules, and the person needs to be determined,” Sands said. 

Ephrata Police Chief Erik Koch agreed with his peers, saying prevention and paying attention are the best things for helping youth avoid being recruited into a gang.  

“Obviously, the best tactic is prevention, keeping youth from joining gangs,” Koch said. “The list of resources parents can access to help keep their children aware and away from criminal gangs is long.  Parents can talk to local law enforcement, school counselors, coaches and clergy to list a few choices.”  

Koch also suggested reaching out to the National Gang Center for assistance (see sidebar below) if parents, community members or school officials need help with a gang-related matter.  

Keeping children engaged in something positive such as Future Farmers of America, extracurriculars such as sports or theater or other things is important to set their foundation, Kriete said. Not having productive activities they enjoy can pull youth into gangs. 

Kriete and his staff also recommended groups such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Columbia Basin and Youth Dynamics as options for keeping young people engaged in productive activities. Branches of the North Central Washington Library System — ncwlibraries.org — also have a variety of things such as book clubs, crafts, board games, roleplaying games and others focused on children and young adults.  

Sands and Koch both suggested speaking with local faith leaders for advice in dealing with parenting challenges and activities that keep children away from gangs and other negative influences.  

While resources may seem limited, there are some in the community, local law enforcement leaders said. Chief among them are parents who stay involved and support children before problems start.  

“The way to help these kids is to get to them young and early and convince them that gang life is the wrong path. It’s amazing to see the people in the gang life whom we have dealt with so many years ago. They’re now coming forward to say how bad it was for them,” Kriete said.  

Gang Prevention Resources 

National Gang Center
www.nationalgangcenter.ojp.gov  

Youth.gov  
www.youth.gov  

Local law enforcement: 

Grant County Sheriff’s Office
35 C Street NW
Ephrata, WA 98823
grantcountywa.gov/524/Sheriffs-Office
Non-emergency: 509-754-2011 

Ephrata Police Department
121 Alder Street SW
Ephrata, WA 98823
Non-emergency: 509-754-2491
epdcontact@ephrata.org  

Mattawa Police Department
521 Government Road
Mattawa, WA 99349
Non-emergency: 509-932-4112 

Moses Lake Police Department
411 S. Balsam St.
Moses Lake, WA 98837
Non-emergency: 509-764-3887
cityofml.com/44/Police 

Quincy Police Department
223 First Ave. SW
Quincy, WA 98848
Non-emergency: 509-787-4718 

Soap Lake Police Department
239 Second Ave. SE
Soap Lake, WA 98851
Non-emergency: 509-246-1122
soaplakewa.gov/police 

Community Coalitions:  

The cities of Moses Lake, Quincy and Mattawa have resources to help educate parents and keep youth away from negative elements in the community.  

Moses Lake Community Coalition
509-765-9239 x 5321 

Quincy Partnership for Youth
quincypartnership@gmail.com 

Wahluke Community Coalition
503-765-6354 

For all life-threatening or urgent emergencies, contact law enforcement and other first responders via 9-1-1. 

Gang Risk Factors:  

Aggressiveness
Early initiation of violent behavior
Parental criminality
Child maltreatment
Low levels of parental involvement
Parent-child separation
Academic failure
Lack of school connectedness
Truancy and school dropout
Frequent school transitions
Delinquent siblings and peers
Peer gang membership
Poverty
Substance use
Community disorganization
Availability of drugs and firearms
Exposure to violence and racial prejudice 

Gang Risk Mitigators 

Parental involvement and monitoring
Family support
Coping skills (interpersonal skills)
Positive social connections
Peer support
Academic achievement
Reducing delinquency
Reducing alcohol and drug use