County gets ready for long-awaited anti-gang programs

It’s been three years in the crafting, but this week the Board of Supervisors will consider final approval for the County’s Regional Gang Violence Reduction Initiative, a plan to test-drive a new and comprehensive prevention and suppression program in four pilot sites around the County, including Pacoima in the Third District.

The $1.9 million program recognizes that any successful anti-gang effort needs to address both root causes at the front end, including community and family dysfunction, as well as aggressive and coordinated law enforcement strategies at the back end.

The plan will offer enhanced park, library, health clinic and school-based services for at-risk youth and their families to provide positive and constructive outlets and opportunities. It will also address the challenges of assisting formerly incarcerated youth and adult probationers to rejoin their communities as productive and law-abiding citizens with job skills and employment prospects. Finally, it will employ a multi-pronged suppression effort that involves targeting known hot spots and the most violent offenders, a high-profile law enforcement presence around parks and schools, and greater information sharing among various public agencies.

In addition to Pacoima, the other pilot sites include Florence/Firestone, Monrovia/Duarte and Harbor/Gateway.

Posted 3/17/10