Los Angeles Daily News
Published: Sunday, December 6, 2009 12:22 AM EST
BY TONY CASTRO,
For a while now, the Barrio Van Nuys street gang has been claiming a version of the New York Yankees' interlocked NY logo as its own.
By trimming the tail off the `Y,' the famous Major League Baseball trademark is turned into an interwoven VN, standing for Van Nuys. The gang is touting its Yankee-esque symbol on social networking Web sites and YouTube.
It's just one example of what law enforcement says is an increasing trend among gangs to use cyberspace to broaden their appeal, boast of illegal exploits, pose threats and recruit new members.
And more than ever, prosecutors are scouring sites like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter for potential evidence in gang-related criminal cases.
``Five years ago we would find evidence in a gang case on the Internet and say, `Wow.' Well, there's no more `Wow' any more. Sadly, it's much more routine,'' said Bruce Riordan, director of anti-gang operations for the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office.
Cyberbanging, as authorities call it, can provide prosecutors with the proof they need in criminal cases to demonstrate affiliation in a street gang — something typically denied by defendants at trial.
``When the gang member has basically put his or her admission of gang membership up on the Internet, it can not only help prosecutors prove a case, it can also help us disprove a false defense,'' Riordan said.
George W. Knox, director of the National Gang Crime Research Center, said, however, that proving gang affiliation through cyberspace can be an arduous task. That is one reason he trains law enforcement officials how to cull intelligence on gang membership, rivalries, territory and lingo from their Internet posts.
``Gangs are going to use any form of communication they can, including Twitter, including Facebook,'' Knox said.
``We don't have any laws that prohibit them from doing this, and I don't think we're ready to bar them from the Internet.''
Attempts to contact numerous San Fernando Valley gang members for comment via e-mails through networking sites they use were unsuccessful.
Los Angeles gang expert Alex Alonso said gang members are using social networking sites more than before, but not necessarily to further criminal enterprises.
``From my extensive experience, they use the Internet like any other person does — they're just representing their neighborhoods and not trying to recruit,'' Alonso said.
But law enforcement officials and youth counselors insist that young people who visit social networking sites to download music and pictures glorifying criminal street gangs can unwittingly set themselves up to be recruited by gangs.
Impressionable young people, say authorities, can sometimes be influenced by the secret handshakes, clothing and slang of gang cultures that are commonly found on Web sites created by or heavily used by gangs.
And it's not just MySpace, Facebook and Twitter that parents should be concerned about, warned Douglas Semark, executive director of the Gang Alternatives Program, in San Pedro.
``You can go into special areas of AOL, special areas of Yahoo or special areas of some of the other large Internet presences where (gang members) will go in and they'll target specific topics and specific groups,'' Semark said. ``And kids may be in those areas with their parents' blessing because the parents think they're safe.
``And someone who is looking to victimize a specific individual will track them to those places and create false identities and false accounts.''
Two of the Valley's fiercest gangs — Barrio Van Nuys and Canoga Park Alabama — have also used social networking sites to get around court injunctions secured by the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office that forbid members from meeting in public, law enforcement officials say.
For many Valley gangs, My-Space — though pass0x233 in the era of Twitter and Facebook — appears to be the Internet social network of choice to glorify their lifestyle. Alonso said he believes gangs prefer My-Space because it is easier to search for and find other gang members on the site than others.
Representatives for MySpace and other popular social networking sites, which have come under criticism for their availability to gangs, did not return calls.
On MySpace, the 818 Gangland Musik Page offers free-streaming MP3s and song downloads that authorities say attract young Web surfers.
Among photographs posted by gang members are pictures of assault weapons and bulletproof vests over a white T-shirt with the impression ``Pacoima 818'' and of San Fernando gangbangers wearing San Francisco Giants garb with the famous interlocked SF logo of that team, which they have adopted as their own.
Representatives of the Giants and the Yankees said logos and trademark issues are handled by Major League Baseball Inc., and that they have alerted officials at the league.
A Yankees spokeswoman said that organization is especially concerned about seeing gang Web sites showing the lookalike NY trademark with guns sticking out of the logo.
Given the anonymous nature of the Internet, though, authorities say it is almost impossible to determine whether a posting has come from actual gang members or wannabes.
Law enforcement officials say gangs' use of the Internet has forced authorities to become skilled at reading between the lines of gang postings, looking for clues and hidden meanings of words and symbols.
``To understand any subculture — al-Qaida, cults, devil worshippers or gangs — you have to be able to know their own language and what they are saying,'' said Knox of the National Gang Crime Research Center. ``It takes time to study gang (Web) sites and blogs and pick up on subtle word choices, but that's important.
``These are holy words to these gangs.''
Copyright © 2009 - Indiana Gazette
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Gang gun law: New statute mandates prison for gang members caught with loaded weapons
Chicago authorities praise law as key tool to battle street crime
By John Byrne
Tribune Reporter
December 4, 2009
Gang members caught with loaded guns would face mandatory prison time under a new law signed Thursday by Gov. Pat Quinn and hailed by Chicago authorities as a unique tool for fighting street crime.
The statute sets a minimum sentence of three years and a maximum of 10 years behind bars for unlawful use of a weapon by a gang member; under previous law such an offense was punishable by probation. Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, who pushed for the measure, said she believes it is the first state law to include gang membership as an element of the criminal offense.
At a news conference with Quinn and Mayor Richard Daley, Alvarez predicted the law will withstand any legal challenges alleging it unfairly targets a particular group of people.
"There could be a challenge to anything. We can't predict that. But we feel confident," Alvarez said.
Daley likened the law to federal criminal statutes targeting organized crime.
Family members of slain Chicago police Officer Alejandro "Alex" Valadez were also on hand at the Englewood District police station. His June 1 death in a drive-by shooting was cited as giving the measure momentum.
Three people have been charged in Valadez's death. One is a gang member who was on probation for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon at the time of the shooting, the state's attorney's office said. He would have been in jail if the new law were in effect, the office said.
The statute defines a gang as any group of at least three people with a hierarchy that engages in a pattern of criminal activity. The law specifies it is not necessary for prosecutors to show the criminal group has a name, insignias, colors, territory or other symbolism commonly linked with street gangs in order to apply the law to members.
"If they're on a corner throwing up a gang sign or wearing the colors, it's pretty self-evident," Alvarez said. "There's a lot of self-admittance on the police reports themselves, tattoos, prior history. There's a lot that comes into play to support the fact that they are members of a gang."
Ed Yohnka, spokesman for the Illinois chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the group is not taking a position on the legislation because the definition of "gang" in the statute has withstood court challenges in DuPage County, where prosecutors used the same definition in several civil lawsuits against gangs there.
jebyrne@tribune.com
Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune
By John Byrne
Tribune Reporter
December 4, 2009
Gang members caught with loaded guns would face mandatory prison time under a new law signed Thursday by Gov. Pat Quinn and hailed by Chicago authorities as a unique tool for fighting street crime.
The statute sets a minimum sentence of three years and a maximum of 10 years behind bars for unlawful use of a weapon by a gang member; under previous law such an offense was punishable by probation. Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, who pushed for the measure, said she believes it is the first state law to include gang membership as an element of the criminal offense.
At a news conference with Quinn and Mayor Richard Daley, Alvarez predicted the law will withstand any legal challenges alleging it unfairly targets a particular group of people.
"There could be a challenge to anything. We can't predict that. But we feel confident," Alvarez said.
Daley likened the law to federal criminal statutes targeting organized crime.
Family members of slain Chicago police Officer Alejandro "Alex" Valadez were also on hand at the Englewood District police station. His June 1 death in a drive-by shooting was cited as giving the measure momentum.
Three people have been charged in Valadez's death. One is a gang member who was on probation for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon at the time of the shooting, the state's attorney's office said. He would have been in jail if the new law were in effect, the office said.
The statute defines a gang as any group of at least three people with a hierarchy that engages in a pattern of criminal activity. The law specifies it is not necessary for prosecutors to show the criminal group has a name, insignias, colors, territory or other symbolism commonly linked with street gangs in order to apply the law to members.
"If they're on a corner throwing up a gang sign or wearing the colors, it's pretty self-evident," Alvarez said. "There's a lot of self-admittance on the police reports themselves, tattoos, prior history. There's a lot that comes into play to support the fact that they are members of a gang."
Ed Yohnka, spokesman for the Illinois chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the group is not taking a position on the legislation because the definition of "gang" in the statute has withstood court challenges in DuPage County, where prosecutors used the same definition in several civil lawsuits against gangs there.
jebyrne@tribune.com
Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Authorities: Minn. dad hit son over shirt color
Posted on Sat, Aug. 29, 2009
The Associated Press
A Minnesota man is accused of ripping off his 4-year-old son's shirt and hitting him for wearing a rival gang's color.
Thirty-year-old Kenny T. Jackson of St. Paul is charged with malicious punishment of a child.
According to the criminal complaint, a man who said he was Jackson's stepfather called 911 on Tuesday to say Jackson was yelling and throwing things in the house. The caller said Jackson was angry because he is reportedly a member of the Bloods gang and the boy's blue shirt was the color of a rival gang.
Police say they found the boy shirtless, scratched and crying.
The complaint says Jackson denied the allegations.
It was not clear Saturday if Jackson had an attorney, and a number for him could not be found.
Information from: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com
The Associated Press
A Minnesota man is accused of ripping off his 4-year-old son's shirt and hitting him for wearing a rival gang's color.
Thirty-year-old Kenny T. Jackson of St. Paul is charged with malicious punishment of a child.
According to the criminal complaint, a man who said he was Jackson's stepfather called 911 on Tuesday to say Jackson was yelling and throwing things in the house. The caller said Jackson was angry because he is reportedly a member of the Bloods gang and the boy's blue shirt was the color of a rival gang.
Police say they found the boy shirtless, scratched and crying.
The complaint says Jackson denied the allegations.
It was not clear Saturday if Jackson had an attorney, and a number for him could not be found.
Information from: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com
Friday, August 21, 2009
Bigger plans help some youngsters avoid local gangs
By Angela Mack,
Staff Writer
Star News Online
Wilmington, NC
Darius Green used to dream about joining a gang.
Mesmerized by music videos glamorizing robberies, drugs and violence, the then 8-year-old became fascinated with one day claiming membership himself.
The sight of drug dealers with wads of cash and flashy rides around his east Wilmington neighborhood only fueled the infatuation.
That was six years ago. Now 14, Darius has decided the gang lifestyle isn't for him.
"I don't see the point in them," Darius said. "If you not trying to get in trouble, why be in a gang?"
Overcoming the temptation, however, can be tough for many inner-city kids and those living in rural areas where trouble is often the most attractive after-school activity available. But whether they associate with gang members, know who they are or have yet to come in contact with one, most students agree that gangs are a path to destruction.
"I know a lot of people in gangs," Darius said, adding that Crips and Bloods are the most popular groups around Wilmington.
For Darius, becoming a gang member is not an option. He has five younger brothers and a younger sister who look up to him.
But more than a year ago, his mom enrolled him into the New Hanover County Juvenile Day Treatment Center after he began getting in trouble at school for skipping eighth-grade science and social studies classes at Noble Middle School.
Now the prospect of graduation, girls and sports motivate the 5-foot-8-inch teen to make it to high school this fall and stay enrolled. Daydreams of becoming a gang member have been replaced with goals of catching passes and making touchdowns in the NFL.
Fifteen-year-old Derek Reese, a freshman at North Brunswick High School in Leland, also has aspirations to become a star athlete.
The Brunswick County native wants to play in the NBA, and he practices by playing center and forward on the school's junior varsity basketball squad.
"I think I have a bright future ahead of me," Derek said. "Why mess that up?"
Still, he doesn't hesitate to say he knows gang members walk the halls of his school.
"You see the flags and the signs being thrown up," he said.
Bloods and Folks are the two gangs represented at North Brunswick by boys and girls, some of whom recently moved to the school from Wilmington's Northside, Eastside and the Bottom neighborhoods, Derek said. In science class, he said, discussions among students often turns to the weekend's gang member initiations.
"It sort of gets kids off topic," he said. "They're just talking out loud about it. Teachers listen to it. They try to figure out what's going on to tell other teachers."
Student leaders at Trask High School in Rocky Point don't believe the school has any true gang members.
"People say that there's gangs here, but I really don't see it," said senior Foster Lee, 17, president of the school's student advisory council.
Miranda Cloninger, 18, also a Trask senior, said she'd be "very stunned" to be approached by a gang member at school and probably wouldn't know how to respond.
"I don't know if it's for real," she said, adding that those claiming gang affiliation at the school are probably imitators. "I don't think they're real."
Jamell Culler, a 16-year-old sophomore at North Brunswick High School, believes his involvement in the school's Student Government Association and status as sophomore class president shield him from gang threats. But the knowledge that gangs are close does make him think.
"I'm just like, 'Why?'●" he says he often asks himself. "What's the benefit of being involved in gang activity?"
Jamell and Derek say they see no advantage to joining a gang.
"He would never be in a gang. He's mentally tough," Culler said of Derek as the two sat together at a table.
Derek pointed at Jamell with a boyish grin, saying confidently, "He could be the first black president."
Angela Mack: 343-2009
angie.mack@starnewsonline.com
Staff Writer
Star News Online
Wilmington, NC
Darius Green used to dream about joining a gang.
Mesmerized by music videos glamorizing robberies, drugs and violence, the then 8-year-old became fascinated with one day claiming membership himself.
The sight of drug dealers with wads of cash and flashy rides around his east Wilmington neighborhood only fueled the infatuation.
That was six years ago. Now 14, Darius has decided the gang lifestyle isn't for him.
"I don't see the point in them," Darius said. "If you not trying to get in trouble, why be in a gang?"
Overcoming the temptation, however, can be tough for many inner-city kids and those living in rural areas where trouble is often the most attractive after-school activity available. But whether they associate with gang members, know who they are or have yet to come in contact with one, most students agree that gangs are a path to destruction.
"I know a lot of people in gangs," Darius said, adding that Crips and Bloods are the most popular groups around Wilmington.
For Darius, becoming a gang member is not an option. He has five younger brothers and a younger sister who look up to him.
But more than a year ago, his mom enrolled him into the New Hanover County Juvenile Day Treatment Center after he began getting in trouble at school for skipping eighth-grade science and social studies classes at Noble Middle School.
Now the prospect of graduation, girls and sports motivate the 5-foot-8-inch teen to make it to high school this fall and stay enrolled. Daydreams of becoming a gang member have been replaced with goals of catching passes and making touchdowns in the NFL.
Fifteen-year-old Derek Reese, a freshman at North Brunswick High School in Leland, also has aspirations to become a star athlete.
The Brunswick County native wants to play in the NBA, and he practices by playing center and forward on the school's junior varsity basketball squad.
"I think I have a bright future ahead of me," Derek said. "Why mess that up?"
Still, he doesn't hesitate to say he knows gang members walk the halls of his school.
"You see the flags and the signs being thrown up," he said.
Bloods and Folks are the two gangs represented at North Brunswick by boys and girls, some of whom recently moved to the school from Wilmington's Northside, Eastside and the Bottom neighborhoods, Derek said. In science class, he said, discussions among students often turns to the weekend's gang member initiations.
"It sort of gets kids off topic," he said. "They're just talking out loud about it. Teachers listen to it. They try to figure out what's going on to tell other teachers."
Student leaders at Trask High School in Rocky Point don't believe the school has any true gang members.
"People say that there's gangs here, but I really don't see it," said senior Foster Lee, 17, president of the school's student advisory council.
Miranda Cloninger, 18, also a Trask senior, said she'd be "very stunned" to be approached by a gang member at school and probably wouldn't know how to respond.
"I don't know if it's for real," she said, adding that those claiming gang affiliation at the school are probably imitators. "I don't think they're real."
Jamell Culler, a 16-year-old sophomore at North Brunswick High School, believes his involvement in the school's Student Government Association and status as sophomore class president shield him from gang threats. But the knowledge that gangs are close does make him think.
"I'm just like, 'Why?'●" he says he often asks himself. "What's the benefit of being involved in gang activity?"
Jamell and Derek say they see no advantage to joining a gang.
"He would never be in a gang. He's mentally tough," Culler said of Derek as the two sat together at a table.
Derek pointed at Jamell with a boyish grin, saying confidently, "He could be the first black president."
Angela Mack: 343-2009
angie.mack@starnewsonline.com
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
L.A.'s 18th Street gang tied to illegal after-hours bars
The clubs, or casitas, in South L.A. are connected to homicides, drug trafficking and gambling, LAPD says.
By Richard Winton
July 25, 2009
A notorious Los Angeles street gang has expanded its criminal enterprises into the night life world, authorities said.
The Los Angeles Police Department and federal agents said the 18th Street gang operated underground after-hours bars, using them as bases for various criminal enterprises. Authorities said the locations have been connected to homicides, drug trafficking and gambling.
A series of recent busts at the bars resulted in the arrests of 34 gang members and associates on local and federal charges, authorities said Friday. The arrests are the culmination of an 18-month federal and local probe into so-called casitas concealed in South L.A. homes and closed stores.
"These were bars operating in the wee hours, putting the community at risk," said LAPD Deputy Chief Kirk Albanese. "These locations resulted in homicides, shootings and other violent crime."
At least three homicides in the 77th Street Division area of South L.A. have occurred in or around the casitas. LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith cited the case of 35-year-old Rosa Garcia, whose body was found in an alley in the 1500 block of Florence Avenue in January. Smith said investigators believe her death was connected to a nearby casita she frequented.
During raids on five bars since late June, investigators seized $142,000 that would have gone to the gang, authorities say. Albanese said it reflects the importance of these bars as sources for funding gang activity.
"These locations were running seven nights a week," he said.
One illegal after-hours club was just a few blocks from the 77th Street police station, next to a tattoo parlor, authorities say. Patrons entered through an unmarked door and the operator had deliberately spray-painted the wrong address outside, authorities said.
Investigators say taxicab drivers and others in the know would direct patrons or deliver customers to the doors.
Investigators suspect that illegal after-hours bars are popping up all over the L.A. region as gangs look for new ways to make money. Gang members were recently caught running an illegal bar in Salt Lake City.
According to authorities, patrons pay to enter the illegal clubs, where they can buy drugs and alcohol and have access to prostitutes and slot machines.
The clubs are often in neighborhoods where the gang members use intimidation to keep residents from notifying authorities, investigators say.
At a bar raided June 25 near the intersection of 60th Street and Vermont Avenue, Albanese said, "we pulled 50 people out of that location at 3 a.m."
During the investigation known as Operation Treadstone, LAPD and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also seized 15 illegal firearms, 18 slot machines and 200 pounds of illegal fireworks from 19 locations.
Investigators say some of the targets of the arrests are key members of the 18th Street gang, one of the oldest, largest and most heavily entrenched gangs in Southern California.
Last month, a federal grand jury indicted nine alleged members and associates of the 18th Street gang.
richard.winton@latimes.com
By Richard Winton
July 25, 2009
A notorious Los Angeles street gang has expanded its criminal enterprises into the night life world, authorities said.
The Los Angeles Police Department and federal agents said the 18th Street gang operated underground after-hours bars, using them as bases for various criminal enterprises. Authorities said the locations have been connected to homicides, drug trafficking and gambling.
A series of recent busts at the bars resulted in the arrests of 34 gang members and associates on local and federal charges, authorities said Friday. The arrests are the culmination of an 18-month federal and local probe into so-called casitas concealed in South L.A. homes and closed stores.
"These were bars operating in the wee hours, putting the community at risk," said LAPD Deputy Chief Kirk Albanese. "These locations resulted in homicides, shootings and other violent crime."
At least three homicides in the 77th Street Division area of South L.A. have occurred in or around the casitas. LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith cited the case of 35-year-old Rosa Garcia, whose body was found in an alley in the 1500 block of Florence Avenue in January. Smith said investigators believe her death was connected to a nearby casita she frequented.
During raids on five bars since late June, investigators seized $142,000 that would have gone to the gang, authorities say. Albanese said it reflects the importance of these bars as sources for funding gang activity.
"These locations were running seven nights a week," he said.
One illegal after-hours club was just a few blocks from the 77th Street police station, next to a tattoo parlor, authorities say. Patrons entered through an unmarked door and the operator had deliberately spray-painted the wrong address outside, authorities said.
Investigators say taxicab drivers and others in the know would direct patrons or deliver customers to the doors.
Investigators suspect that illegal after-hours bars are popping up all over the L.A. region as gangs look for new ways to make money. Gang members were recently caught running an illegal bar in Salt Lake City.
According to authorities, patrons pay to enter the illegal clubs, where they can buy drugs and alcohol and have access to prostitutes and slot machines.
The clubs are often in neighborhoods where the gang members use intimidation to keep residents from notifying authorities, investigators say.
At a bar raided June 25 near the intersection of 60th Street and Vermont Avenue, Albanese said, "we pulled 50 people out of that location at 3 a.m."
During the investigation known as Operation Treadstone, LAPD and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also seized 15 illegal firearms, 18 slot machines and 200 pounds of illegal fireworks from 19 locations.
Investigators say some of the targets of the arrests are key members of the 18th Street gang, one of the oldest, largest and most heavily entrenched gangs in Southern California.
Last month, a federal grand jury indicted nine alleged members and associates of the 18th Street gang.
richard.winton@latimes.com
State unable to combat prison gangs for lack of funding, manpower
State unable to combat prison gangs for lack of funding, manpower
Posted by glubin July 19, 2009 07:14AM
State investigators say they're losing ground in the fight to control gangs in New Jersey prisons because they don't have enough manpower and funding.
The criticism of operations at the prisons, leveled by unions representing investigators and corrections officers, comes two months after the State Commission of Investigation said the state was failing to stop inmates from smuggling drugs, communicating with illegal cell phones and coordinating criminal activity from behind bars
Union leaders said the Department of Corrections' approximately 100-member Special Investigations Division has lost nine people in three years and operates without a chief. Each prison has only one investigator monitoring gang activity, and a single person analyzes confiscated cell phones for the entire department, they said.
"It's becoming very difficult for us to do our job," said Neil Layden, president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 174, which represents 92 Corrections investigators. "We don't have the funding nor the people."
In May the SCI, which reports to the Legislature, released a report saying prisons are like a "branch office" for gang members and calling the situation "intolerable."
The SCI also said prison investigators are overwhelmed: "Given the magnitude and multiplicity of its responsibilities, (the Special Investigations Division) is undersized, insufficiently funded and, as currently structured, unable to effectively and efficiently fulfill its vital mission, particularly with regard to suppressing gang activity."
Layden is concerned the SCI report has fallen on deaf ears.
"It seems like it's not going anywhere," he said. "We talked to everyone who would listen."
Corrections Commissioner George Hayman declined to comment for this report, as did the highest-ranking investigator, Assistant Chief Wayne Everett.
After the SCI report was released, Hayman issued a statement saying Corrections is "dealing proactively" with its gang problem. "We continue to house an offender population -- bent toward violence and power struggles -- with a minimum of disturbances," he said.
The department declined to comment on staffing or equipment within the division.
"It would not be in the best interests of safety and security to disclose this information in a public forum," Corrections spokeswoman Deirdre Fedkenheuer said.
Fedkenheuer also said the investigators do not have a set budget and she could not say how much is spent on the division.
Like much of state government, Corrections was hit by the budget crunch. Its funding dropped by about $40 million to $1.156 billion.
Gordon Johnson (D-Bergen), chairman of the Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee, said he intends to hold a hearing following up on the SCI report when the Legislature convenes again later this year.
Johnson said the state should explore new ways to deter cell phone use, but didn't criticize Corrections or Hayman.
"I think he is doing all that he can," Johnson said. "This is a major problem that takes time to address."
Assemblyman David Rible (R-Monmouth) has twice called for a hearing on the report. Echoing SCI's findings, he said prisons "are being run as corporate headquarters for the gangs."
"When you're being sentenced to prison, it's supposed to be a rehabilitation time period, as well as paying time for your crime," Rible said. "I don't think you should be in there accelerating crime outside the jail."
Corrections spokesman Matt Schuman said the department was "among the first" to use dogs to detect cell phones, finding 118 phones, 21 batteries and 121 chargers since October. He also said Hayman supports changes to federal regulations that would allow the jamming of cell phone signals in prisons.
Wayne Robbins, Lodge 174's vice president and a principal investigator in Corrections, said cell phones are so prevalent, inmates don't even worry when one is taken away.
"They'll say all right, I got my next one coming in," he said.
Meanwhile, Robbins said each investigative unit has to share one cell phone among a half-dozen investigators.
"Inmates have better cellular capabilities than we do," he said.
Mike Goodman, vice president of New Jersey Policemen's Benevolent Association Local 105, which represents about 7,000 Corrections officers, said the use of cell phones has made prisons less safe.
"They're getting more skillful in regards to communicating," he said. "It's tough to maintain control."
Fedkenheuer said 19 percent of inmates are formally identified as gang members. In its report, the SCI said a top Corrections official testified under oath that up to half the inmate population "may be involved in some way" with a gang.
The SCI report also said having the same investigators probe gangs in prison and potential corruption of prison employees hampered anti-gang efforts. It said corrections officers shied away from working with investigators "for fear that they will themselves become targets of investigation" while investigators "are leery of establishing a working relationship with many custody officers due to their concern over corruption within the uniformed ranks."
Fedkenheuer said that issue was resolved, citing "a clear line of demarcation" between the two functions the last two years.
But Layden said staffing shortages have forced some investigators to handle both responsibilities.
"We're still doing internal affairs work," he said. "It's a difficult task to one day talk to someone about a situation and the next day investigate them about another incident."
Chris Megerian may be reached at (609) 989-0208 or cmegerian@starledger.com.
Posted by glubin July 19, 2009 07:14AM
State investigators say they're losing ground in the fight to control gangs in New Jersey prisons because they don't have enough manpower and funding.
The criticism of operations at the prisons, leveled by unions representing investigators and corrections officers, comes two months after the State Commission of Investigation said the state was failing to stop inmates from smuggling drugs, communicating with illegal cell phones and coordinating criminal activity from behind bars
Union leaders said the Department of Corrections' approximately 100-member Special Investigations Division has lost nine people in three years and operates without a chief. Each prison has only one investigator monitoring gang activity, and a single person analyzes confiscated cell phones for the entire department, they said.
"It's becoming very difficult for us to do our job," said Neil Layden, president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 174, which represents 92 Corrections investigators. "We don't have the funding nor the people."
In May the SCI, which reports to the Legislature, released a report saying prisons are like a "branch office" for gang members and calling the situation "intolerable."
The SCI also said prison investigators are overwhelmed: "Given the magnitude and multiplicity of its responsibilities, (the Special Investigations Division) is undersized, insufficiently funded and, as currently structured, unable to effectively and efficiently fulfill its vital mission, particularly with regard to suppressing gang activity."
Layden is concerned the SCI report has fallen on deaf ears.
"It seems like it's not going anywhere," he said. "We talked to everyone who would listen."
Corrections Commissioner George Hayman declined to comment for this report, as did the highest-ranking investigator, Assistant Chief Wayne Everett.
After the SCI report was released, Hayman issued a statement saying Corrections is "dealing proactively" with its gang problem. "We continue to house an offender population -- bent toward violence and power struggles -- with a minimum of disturbances," he said.
The department declined to comment on staffing or equipment within the division.
"It would not be in the best interests of safety and security to disclose this information in a public forum," Corrections spokeswoman Deirdre Fedkenheuer said.
Fedkenheuer also said the investigators do not have a set budget and she could not say how much is spent on the division.
Like much of state government, Corrections was hit by the budget crunch. Its funding dropped by about $40 million to $1.156 billion.
Gordon Johnson (D-Bergen), chairman of the Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee, said he intends to hold a hearing following up on the SCI report when the Legislature convenes again later this year.
Johnson said the state should explore new ways to deter cell phone use, but didn't criticize Corrections or Hayman.
"I think he is doing all that he can," Johnson said. "This is a major problem that takes time to address."
Assemblyman David Rible (R-Monmouth) has twice called for a hearing on the report. Echoing SCI's findings, he said prisons "are being run as corporate headquarters for the gangs."
"When you're being sentenced to prison, it's supposed to be a rehabilitation time period, as well as paying time for your crime," Rible said. "I don't think you should be in there accelerating crime outside the jail."
Corrections spokesman Matt Schuman said the department was "among the first" to use dogs to detect cell phones, finding 118 phones, 21 batteries and 121 chargers since October. He also said Hayman supports changes to federal regulations that would allow the jamming of cell phone signals in prisons.
Wayne Robbins, Lodge 174's vice president and a principal investigator in Corrections, said cell phones are so prevalent, inmates don't even worry when one is taken away.
"They'll say all right, I got my next one coming in," he said.
Meanwhile, Robbins said each investigative unit has to share one cell phone among a half-dozen investigators.
"Inmates have better cellular capabilities than we do," he said.
Mike Goodman, vice president of New Jersey Policemen's Benevolent Association Local 105, which represents about 7,000 Corrections officers, said the use of cell phones has made prisons less safe.
"They're getting more skillful in regards to communicating," he said. "It's tough to maintain control."
Fedkenheuer said 19 percent of inmates are formally identified as gang members. In its report, the SCI said a top Corrections official testified under oath that up to half the inmate population "may be involved in some way" with a gang.
The SCI report also said having the same investigators probe gangs in prison and potential corruption of prison employees hampered anti-gang efforts. It said corrections officers shied away from working with investigators "for fear that they will themselves become targets of investigation" while investigators "are leery of establishing a working relationship with many custody officers due to their concern over corruption within the uniformed ranks."
Fedkenheuer said that issue was resolved, citing "a clear line of demarcation" between the two functions the last two years.
But Layden said staffing shortages have forced some investigators to handle both responsibilities.
"We're still doing internal affairs work," he said. "It's a difficult task to one day talk to someone about a situation and the next day investigate them about another incident."
Chris Megerian may be reached at (609) 989-0208 or cmegerian@starledger.com.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Lee County (FL) struggles to keep school resource officers
Budget cuts hit program
By DENES HUSTY III
dhusty@news-press.com
Educators, parents and law enforcement officials are lining up to oppose budget cuts that would scrap school resource officer programs at the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Cape Coral Police Department.
School resource officers are stationed in high schools, middle schools and elementary schools throughout Lee County, and officers are expected to interact with students and generally enforce law and order. They also counsel parents, coordinate police presence at school events and teach students how to combat gangs and substance abuse.
But economic difficulties and declining property values are forcing officials to look at all options for saving money, no matter how popular the program.
Cape Coral’s program costs $848,000 per year and has 13 officers and a sergeant. The sheriff’s $1.3 million program, which has 17 deputies, covers seven high schools and 10 middle schools in Bonita Springs, Estero, North Fort Myers and Lehigh Acres.
The Fort Myers Police Department plans to keep its $1.1 million program, which has seven full-time officers and nine part-time retired officers.
The Cape Coral City Council and the Lee County commission are expected to vote on the proposed cuts in September. Both budgets go into effect Oct. 1.
“The school resource officer program is extremely critical to the school system,” said James Browder, superintendent for Lee County public schools. Browder said he’ll meet with Sheriff Mike Scott and Cape Coral Police Chief Robert Petrovich in the next few weeks to discuss the proposed cuts and options.
“We’ll figure out something to keep that program in our schools,” Browder said.
Scott believes the school resource program is worthwhile, and he wants to keep it, according to sheriff’s spokesman Tony Schall.
Petrovich said he hopes the Cape Coral City Council can come up with at least some partial funding for the city’s program. He said, at minimum, at least eight officers and a supervising sergeant should be kept for the city’s four high schools, one alternative learning center and to rotate among the middle schools.
County Commissioner Bob Janes, who represents Cape Coral, said the Lee County School Board should pick up the tab for the entire program. The school board this year provided $595,000 on top of the amount the county paid to the sheriff’s office. The school district gave Cape Coral $409,000 besides the city’s contribution.
“I think it’s a sad day when we have to look at making these kind of cuts that affect our children. I hope we don’t go this route,” said Cape Councilman Tim Day.
Eric McFee, principal of Cape Coral High School, said the program goes far beyond keeping students in line.
“The school resource officer acts as a confidant, someone that students and parents can talk to. It would be a real shame to lose that program,” McFee said.
Tommy O’Connell, principal at South Fort Myers High School, agrees.
“The school resource officers have a working relationship with the kids at the schools. It makes a difference to have someone the kids know at games, dances and homecomings,” O’Connell said.
Some parents also oppose the proposed cuts.
“I think it’s important to have a law enforcement officer at the school to serve as a role model and to have someone present with the authority to enforce the law and handle situations beyond the scope of school officials,” said Shawn Harvey of Cape Coral, whose son, Alex, 16, attends Cape Coral High School.
By DENES HUSTY III
dhusty@news-press.com
Educators, parents and law enforcement officials are lining up to oppose budget cuts that would scrap school resource officer programs at the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Cape Coral Police Department.
School resource officers are stationed in high schools, middle schools and elementary schools throughout Lee County, and officers are expected to interact with students and generally enforce law and order. They also counsel parents, coordinate police presence at school events and teach students how to combat gangs and substance abuse.
But economic difficulties and declining property values are forcing officials to look at all options for saving money, no matter how popular the program.
Cape Coral’s program costs $848,000 per year and has 13 officers and a sergeant. The sheriff’s $1.3 million program, which has 17 deputies, covers seven high schools and 10 middle schools in Bonita Springs, Estero, North Fort Myers and Lehigh Acres.
The Fort Myers Police Department plans to keep its $1.1 million program, which has seven full-time officers and nine part-time retired officers.
The Cape Coral City Council and the Lee County commission are expected to vote on the proposed cuts in September. Both budgets go into effect Oct. 1.
“The school resource officer program is extremely critical to the school system,” said James Browder, superintendent for Lee County public schools. Browder said he’ll meet with Sheriff Mike Scott and Cape Coral Police Chief Robert Petrovich in the next few weeks to discuss the proposed cuts and options.
“We’ll figure out something to keep that program in our schools,” Browder said.
Scott believes the school resource program is worthwhile, and he wants to keep it, according to sheriff’s spokesman Tony Schall.
Petrovich said he hopes the Cape Coral City Council can come up with at least some partial funding for the city’s program. He said, at minimum, at least eight officers and a supervising sergeant should be kept for the city’s four high schools, one alternative learning center and to rotate among the middle schools.
County Commissioner Bob Janes, who represents Cape Coral, said the Lee County School Board should pick up the tab for the entire program. The school board this year provided $595,000 on top of the amount the county paid to the sheriff’s office. The school district gave Cape Coral $409,000 besides the city’s contribution.
“I think it’s a sad day when we have to look at making these kind of cuts that affect our children. I hope we don’t go this route,” said Cape Councilman Tim Day.
Eric McFee, principal of Cape Coral High School, said the program goes far beyond keeping students in line.
“The school resource officer acts as a confidant, someone that students and parents can talk to. It would be a real shame to lose that program,” McFee said.
Tommy O’Connell, principal at South Fort Myers High School, agrees.
“The school resource officers have a working relationship with the kids at the schools. It makes a difference to have someone the kids know at games, dances and homecomings,” O’Connell said.
Some parents also oppose the proposed cuts.
“I think it’s important to have a law enforcement officer at the school to serve as a role model and to have someone present with the authority to enforce the law and handle situations beyond the scope of school officials,” said Shawn Harvey of Cape Coral, whose son, Alex, 16, attends Cape Coral High School.
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