Fillmore Gazette: Question 4

The most important element in curtailing gang activity is a partnership between local law enforcement and the community. When I say community, I mean everyone - from parents and educators to neighbors and businesses, city and law enforcement.

First, I would request more visibility from police patrols, but not just a “shotgun” approach. Any steps to get control of this situation should be data driven. Do we know who the worst offenders are? What types of crimes are occurring? Is it mostly weekends? How frequently are they occurring? What part of town? Is it strictly gang activity or are there more adults committing crimes? We need to target the offenses and offenders and come up with a plan.

Next, the partnership should focus on intervention programs; more structured activities between 4 and 9 pm, parental involvement and recreation programs.

There are several good programs that need to be promoted; Crimestoppers is a completely anonymous reporting agency. The phone call is not traceable and is picked up in Canada . If the caller would like a reward ($50), there is a mechanism in place to ensure the reward is delivered anonymously. Neighborhood Watch is a similar program.

The bottom line is that the community has to solve problems together. Our budget for police protection is 3.3 million for 06-07. Our budget for Parks & Recreation is $150,000. Is this a good ratio for our community? No - I would like to re-allocate some of the budget into more proactive programs.