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It's been a busy summer for police dealing with violent, gang-related crimes. High-profile cases have made headlines, prompting talks about how to get a handle on the growing problem.
Statistics show that gang-related crimes in Salt Lake are getting worse. Two murder cases this year had the community taking notice and asking, what can be done about it? Already this year, gang-related crimes in Salt Lake City have surpassed last year's numbers.
Robberies, simple assaults and aggravated assaults are up. So are murders. Last year, there were no gang-related murders in Salt Lake, but there have already been two this year.
In March, Wally Knapton was shot and killed during a robbery at the Family Dollar Store in Glendale. Police arrested three teenagers, including a 13-year-old boy, all suspected gang members.
Four months later, in the same neighborhood, 7-year-old Maria Menchaca was killed outside her home in a drive-by shooting.
Rick Simonelli, with the Salt Lake Area Gang Project, said, "I think this last year we've seen an increase in violence in gang members on the streets, due to getting out of prison or moving here, and getting more organized with recruiting and stuff like that."
The Salt Lake Area Gang Project is a multijurisdictional gang unit. Simonelli knows the gang problem isn't limited to Salt Lake.
This summer, two large-scale gang crackdowns by Immigration and Customs Enforcement resulted in nearly 200 arrests across the state. These, along with the shootings, have sparked discussion about possible solutions to the gang problem. It's something cities in California have tackled with success.
In Santa Rosa, north of San Francisco, the Mayor's Gang Prevention Task Force combines enforcement, prevention and intervention and aims to reduce gang violence by half by 2011. Jane Bender, the former mayor of Santa Rosa, said, "We have a high goal. We raised the bar high because our kids' future is involved."
So what's the solution to Salt Lake's gang problem? We're looking for answers and went directly to Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker and Police Chief Chris Burbank with our Talking Point segment.
Becker said, "There's no question that the mayor needs to take the lead. The mayor needs to acknowledge the problem, and find solutions, work with our police, of course, and many others in the community to achieve reduction in gang violence."
Burbank said, "We've done quite a bit to intervene...You look at the effort that's gone forth over the last 15-20 years, as far as gang prevention, we have done quite a bit to intercede on that behalf...From a law enforcement standpoint, prevention and intervention is an early intervenance."
To see the entire interview, click on the related link.
E-mail: syi@ksl.com
