Going After Gangs: What Works

Councilmember published in Western Cities Magazine

Steve Hofbauer's personal efforts and insight in combating gang activity locally and regionally has been recognized by the invitiation to contribute to the Western Cities Magazine his thoughts on the City of Palmdale's programs, and the legislative process on this topic.

Read it all hear, or go to the website here.

Gang Legislation Moves Forward

As your appointed representative to the Desert Mountain Division of the League of California Cities, I have been participating to the statewide Public Safety Policy Committee. I was recently assigned a Task Force on Gang and Grafitti Abatement, along with several other elected officials from around the state. This assignment resulted from my inquiries into a co-ordinated statewide effort to address these two most pressing issues.

In addition, I recently met with state legislative represenatives, including our Senator George Runner, to press for some legislative measures and changes to state law to provide cities and local officials flexibility and additional language to battle these problems.

We met in Ontario on March 29 to discuss a package of bills being brought forward, that, if state legislators balk at meaningful legilation, will then be brought to the public as an initiative for an upcoming election, as we did with JessicaÕs Law.

We are also exchanging ideas, sharing the successes of other communities on these problems.

We also agreed to add policy level language to the Public Safety Committee's working documents, encouraging support for anti-gang and graffiti efforts by legislators and local goivernments.

There were 37 bills related to gang activity introduced in the state assembly anf senate. The following is a summary of the measures being introduced by GOP reps that may find their way into a future initiative.

In addition, the Governor's Gang Initiative has been introduced, with many of the key provisions we have been seeking: registration and GPS monitoring of offenders, additional law enforcemtn support, and prevention and parenting programs to name a few, and is moving forward with a package that is clearly inspired by our efforts at the legislative level.

Winning the War on Gangs
Keeping Our Neighborhoods & Streets Safe

Intervention and Prevention: Ending the Cycle of Gang Recruitment. Encourage effective, creative, evidence-based gang intervention and prevention programs. (SB 657 by Senator Runner and Senator Harman) Provide matching grants to allow non-profits and local governments to apply and enact gang intervention and prevention programs. These programs must be evidence-based and require accountability measurements.

Educational Safety Units on School Campuses (SB 657 by Senator Runner and Senator Harman) Provide resources to suppress gang violence on high school campuses designed to dedicate a portion of State Lottery proceeds to school safety.

Community Involvement to End Gang Violence (SB 657 by Senator Runner and Senator Harman) Provide incentives to businesses to adopt Police Action League programs and facilities as an alternative to youth gang activity.

Disruption and Suppression of Street Gangs GPS Monitoring of Gang Offenders Ð Juvenile and Adult (SB 390 by Senator Runner and Senator Dutton) Offenders convicted of a gang-related offense must wear electronic monitoring or GPS during parole and probation. The offender will have strict restrictions as to where they can go. Violations will result in a misdemeanor.

End gang activity in the prisons. (AB 676 by Assemblymember Van Tran) Enhance penalties for gang felonies committed while incarcerated. Requires any person who provides an inmate with weapons or cell phones or other instruments that is used in a gang crime is an accessory before the fact the same penalties as the inmate who commits the offense.

Create gang crime free zones around parks (Senate Bill 550 by Senator Roy Ashburn) This proposal will create 1,000-foot gang crime free zones around parks.

Gang suppression units (SB 657 by Senator Runner and Senator Harman) Provide resources to local law enforcement to establish and deploy regional, multiple-agency gang suppression units.

Require gang members to annually register with law enforcement. (Assembly Bill 1630 by Assemblywoman Sharon Runner) Require individuals who were convicted of a gang offense to register with the local law enforcement annually and when they relocate. Failure to register will result in a misdemeanor. Create a more functional registration system that would allow all law enforcement agencies access to the gang registration data.

Freeze gang members resources. (Assembly Bill 1278 by Assemblymember Cameron Smyth) This will allow law enforcement to freeze financial resources of known street gang members and improve CaliforniaÕs Baby RICO law.

Adult Interference with Juveniles (SB 657 by Senator Runner and Senator Harman) Enhance penalties for any adult that commits a felony with a juvenile accomplice. Any adult who has been convicted of a gang-related offense who is knowingly in the presence of a monitored juvenile after 10:00 p.m. curfew is guilty of a wobbler.

Gang prosecution training (SB 657 by Senator Runner and Senator Harman) Enhance district attorney gang prosecution training program. Enhance punishments for crimes that gang members commonly commit.

Close loopholes to more effectively prosecute multiple acts of graffiti. (Assembly Bill 1628 by Assemblymember Sharon Runner)

Enhance penalties for vehicle theft. (Assembly Bill 998 by Assemblymember Martin Garrick)

Enhance penalties for production and distribution of methamphetamines. (Assembly Bill 1556 by Assemblymember Shirley Horton)

Identity theft, fraud and forgery to be included on a list of offenses to qualify as a pattern of criminal gang activity. (SB 657 by Senator Runner and Senator Harman)

Enhance penalties for felons who are deported, come back across the border and commit a felony in California. (AB 648 by Assemblymember Anthony Adams) Provides that a person deported after committing a felony in California will be subject to a 10-year enhancement should he or she ever commit a subsequent felony in this state.

Justice for Victims of Gang Violence Expand Street Terrorism Enhancement Act (STEP) Act to include certain crimes committed with others regardless of gang membership. (SB 657 by Senator Runner and Senator Harman) Expand the STEP Act to include certain crimes committed in concert regardless of their direct gang affiliation.

Punish all individuals involved with a gun crime. (AB 1631 by Assemblymember Sharon Runner) Expand 10-20-Life to include all individuals involved with a crime that involves a gun.

All individuals who commit a violent gang crime get a minimum of 10 years. (AB 894 Assemblymember Alan Nakinishi) Expand the STEP Act to ensure all offenders who commit violent gang crimes are subject to 10 years imprisonment in addition to the other penalties.

Parole reform for felons convicted on life sentences with possibility of parole. (AB 1629 by Assemblymember Sharon Runner) Change denial terms from 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years to 5, 10, 15 year denials; and allow parole hearings to take place closer to victims surviving family; and paroled murderers will be subject to life sentences for any felony committed while on parole.

Witness protection and relocation (SB 657 by Senator Runner and Senator Harman) Provide additional resources for witness protection and relocation for sheriff, police and probation departments.

Witness Testimony (AB 1210 by Assemblymember Shirley Horton) Allow sworn witness testimony to be admissible in court even if the witness has died before the trial.

I presented our Partners for a Better Palmdale program to state representatives, as well as the AV War On Gangs efforts at the last statewide meeting in Ontario. Every folder was snatched up by participants eager to explore new options and offer suggestons on their successes and failures.