Baca Targets Gangs, Releases

[Christina Marie]

Baca Targets Gangs, Releases

The newly reelected L.A. County sheriff's ambitious goals include eradicating gangs and keeping inmates locked up for their full terms.

By Stuart Pfeifer, Times Staff Writer
June 12, 2006


Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca has set a couple of lofty goals for his next term, first among them: eliminating street gangs in a county where they have been entrenched for decades.

"I say we must set the bar as high as possible; otherwise we'll fall short and the problem will fester and reappear," Baca said. "We shouldn't lower our goal until we find an answer for the last gang member standing."

He also wants to end the long-standing and controversial practice of releasing inmates from the county jail system before they have served their full sentences.

Some experts called the sheriff's goal on gangs admirable but unrealistic. And his promise to stop freeing inmates early, although not nearly as difficult to fulfill as eradicating gangs, also faces obstacles.

Baca, elected last week to a third term, has been known for making bold statements during his 7 1/2 years as head of the nation's largest sheriff's department, once setting a goal of eliminating homelessness.

The sheriff said he intended to wipe out the county's estimated 1,200 gangs — with more than 80,000 verified members — by bringing together law enforcement agencies, religious leaders and community groups. The idea would be to lock up the most dangerous offenders and offer alternatives to other gang members and those thinking about joining gangs.

He also wants to eliminate early releases of inmates by the time his upcoming term ends in 2010.

In the last four years, the sheriff has released more than 150,000 inmates after they served just a fraction of their sentences. Many have been freed after serving just 10% of their time, a move necessitated by budget cuts that led the sheriff to close jails and decrease inmate capacity.

In order to achieve that goal, the sheriff said he would have to expand the jails' capacity from 18,000 to 30,000, at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars in construction and personnel.

The gang issue will be the top priority in coming months. The sheriff has proposed placing a measure on the November ballot that would call for a quarter-cent sales tax increase to fund gang enforcement.

Baca, who oversees a $2-billion budget, is also in discussions with Supervisor Mike Antonovich for millions of dollars in additional county funding to target gangs without raising taxes.

"My No. 1 priority is to unify law enforcement and communities to turn the gang problem around," Baca said. "The past 30 years of pure enforcement, without the social intervention, hasn't diminished the gang problem. We just keep cycling gang members into the prison system. And more keep coming."

Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley said he considered the sheriff's gang plan "a worthy goal, however long it takes."

"It's probably the biggest and most entrenched criminal justice problem in Los Angeles. I think we're in for the long haul in terms of totally eliminating gangs," Cooley said.

"I can't criticize these goals. I'd like to solve poverty and hunger and bring about peace in the Middle East as well."

Malcolm Klein, a retired USC sociologist who has studied Los Angeles gangs for 44 years, said the idea of wiping out L.A.'s gangs is "ridiculous."

"There have been hundreds of attempts at gang control across the country. Very few of them have demonstrated any success," Klein said. "Of those that have been evaluated, almost none have demonstrated success. Some have made things worse."

Wes McBride, a former sheriff's gang detective and president of the California Gang Investigators Assn., seemed equally pessimistic.

"It's a noble calling, to do away with gang members. But that isn't going to happen," said McBride, who spent 28 years as a Los Angeles County gang detective and is considered an expert on the region's gang problem. "They're too embedded in the community…. We have the distinction of being the gang capital of the world."

McBride praised Baca for placing an emphasis on gang crime, however, and said he intended to speak to the sheriff about adding resources to the department's gang unit, which has been cut along with most other programs.


"We don't have to live with the size of the problem we're living with," McBride said.

Sheriff's officials estimate that gang members committed more than 9,000 violent crimes in Los Angeles County in 2005, including 513 homicides. The county spends millions of dollars investigating and prosecuting the cases, officials said.


The district attorney's office has 54 prosecutors assigned to its hard-core gang unit — the largest unit in the department — and has nearly 3,000 open cases against suspected gang members.

In addition to a countywide policing effort, Baca said he would like to install hundreds of video cameras that would allow deputies to monitor crime-plagued areas around the clock, starting with a pilot program in Compton. A Compton-based company has offered to pay for the cameras, Baca said.

Additionally, the sheriff said, the county should use religious and community groups to provide education, jobs and a sense of hope to inner-city youths who would otherwise turn to gangs.

"The most difficult task is to transform the gang society into a productive part of society. That's a big task," Baca said. "There should be enough will on our part to shut off whatever attractiveness a gang might have."

Greg Boyle, a Jesuit priest and founder of anti-gang program Homeboy Industries, said he believed Baca was on the right track. His group provides jobs and services such as tattoo removal to gang members seeking to turn their lives around.

"It sounds like he's trying to say, 'We can get to a day where gangs are no longer with us,' " said Boyle, who has spent two decades working with gang members in Los Angeles.

"The first step is being able to imagine that day might come. One reason why gangs have always been with us is because we say gangs will always be with us, rather than imagine a different way."

At the same time he's focusing on gang programs, Baca said he would use additional funding from the county to increase bed space in the county jails and gradually increase the time that inmates spend in jail. The jail space also would serve as an important tool in the battle against street gangs, Baca said.

"There must be the stick. It's not all about the carrot," Baca said. "We know how to do the enforcement side. We have to cut off the recruitment into gangs. Until we cut it off, new gang members will commit new murders."


http://www.latimes.com/news/local/state ... news-state

[julialee]

Baca can say all he wants how he plans to eliminate Gangs but making sure they are locked and serve their full term but all that does is recycle people and everytime turns them into even more hardened people than before.What California needs is more resources for all the young people and inmates also to prevent them from slippin back into that life.Well talk is cheap and if Baca can do lets see it, i wanna see this, Baca put up or shut up:-(

[Christina Marie]

Ahhhhhh the topic of recidivism!!!! One of my all time favorites!!! I agree 110% with you Julia. And you have you seen the topic/article in the prison industry forum about the "no vacancy". OOOOOOOOO like thats a big surprise. They have been overcrowded for how long now? And putting them back on the street with little or no chance to re-enter society.

[julialee]

Hi Marie:-) Exactly:-), recidivism.Baca wants to open more jails but they did that before with Century Sheriffs station due to budget cuts.Now its only used as a booking, and transfer to Mens Central Jail and i believe for housing Military Vets.He just wants to lock up all gangmebers and throw away the key..As it is Baca is already doing just that, arresting them for any little thing because unfortunately alot of gangmembers are on parole or probation and in the terms of parole or probation they can be violated for any infraction stated in their terms of releas from custody, which from what i see sends them straight back to jail or more likely the Pen.Your right the Jails and Prisons are so overcrowded it at a dangerous stage.Theres Jails there they could open back up like Century station and instead of opening more jails and prison take the money and put it into programs the help parolee's and gangmembers get a heads up in life, which we all know in lA county is almost nonexistent.Even better they need outreach programs in the communities and work with the community, families and the young ones to help lead them in another ,better direction.The few programs there are or were are very understaffed and usually dont last due to the state budget and some are under qualified, if your going to work with Gangs know what gangs and where they can go for help <you just cant send them just to anyplace,its gotta be in their neighborhood, not in enemy territory>.Even The Governator said there needs to be more programs.Thats another one that seems to let his jaws flap lol.we'll see but i dont hold my breath.
I havent checked out that other topic about prison overcrowding but i sure will.Its been months since i been in here..BTW Marie your doing a great job as a moderator:-)

[d0zi]

this is all real unrealistic.. the day all gangs are under complete control will never happen .. many people dont just get recruited into gangs some are born into and the only way u can stop gang banging is to prevent it... locking people up wont do nothing but piss people off some gang members are innoncent and commit crimes for their safety.. lots do it just to do it but there is some that dont want to join but are forced.. americas streets will never be 100% safe a goal of that is just a dream the vision will never happen people serve there time and if there lucky change their ways but are often more violent i have seen it through my experiences and my personal experience of having my freedom tooken away. IT does change you dont get me wrong.. but once your in the streets its completely different many people dont think of what they are doing until it is to late and for the sheriffs department to even say such a thing is completely not going to happen... so people dont just go out and start repping for no reason some do but in my experience people that put them self out like that are just tryin to get rep there will be no way they will ever be able to eliminate all gangs it will never happen.. they dont just one day be like o were a gang.. yeah were hard it takes time many people distguise who they are truely until u get to kno so how will they identify everyone ?? that shit will never happen what are they planning to ask everyone and see if they get the truth ? it would be a trip to see every street completely clean but the day will never happen until i see somethin done i will never believe this because this is completely unbelieveable...

[Christina Marie]

The Century Sta. is a nice jail too....to bad they shut it down. Trust me I KNOW...I got many violations for minor shit. Its ridiculous the crap they lock you someone up for once you are in the system. TY for the compliment.

Hi Marie:-) Exactly:-), recidivism.Baca wants to open more jails but they did that before with Century Sheriffs station due to budget cuts.Now its only used as a booking, and transfer to Mens Central Jail and i believe for housing Military Vets.He just wants to lock up all gangmebers and throw away the key..As it is Baca is already doing just that, arresting them for any little thing because unfortunately alot of gangmembers are on parole or probation and in the terms of parole or probation they can be violated for any infraction stated in their terms of releas from custody, which from what i see sends them straight back to jail or more likely the Pen.Your right the Jails and Prisons are so overcrowded it at a dangerous stage.Theres Jails there they could open back up like Century station and instead of opening more jails and prison take the money and put it into programs the help parolee's and gangmembers get a heads up in life, which we all know in lA county is almost nonexistent.Even better they need outreach programs in the communities and work with the community, families and the young ones to help lead them in another ,better direction.The few programs there are or were are very understaffed and usually dont last due to the state budget and some are under qualified, if your going to work with Gangs know what gangs and where they can go for help <you just cant send them just to anyplace,its gotta be in their neighborhood, not in enemy territory>.Even The Governator said there needs to be more programs.Thats another one that seems to let his jaws flap lol.we'll see but i dont hold my breath.
I havent checked out that other topic about prison overcrowding but i sure will.Its been months since i been in here..BTW Marie your doing a great job as a moderator:-)

[julialee]

Good Viewpoint Dozi:-), exactly its never gonna happen.Its a way of life for too many.With Grandparents, parents into the lifestyle its what thy grew up knowing.For every group of violators they lock up, theres another group of peewee's right around the corner getting jumped into the gang.Yeah Baca wants to lock them up and throw away the key but when a gangmember gets shot, they dont do much to find out who did it because in their minds is their fault anyway for being in a gang.They claim to want to stop it but no, they just figure let them kill each other so we dont gotta deal with it.They laugh when it happens, ive seen that with my own eyes and experiences with family members.Im fortunate they survived some i know havent been so lucky.I think Baca is just a smooth talking politician, isnt he up for re-election anyway? He knows he dont have answers so he's just grasping at straws.

[julialee]

Marie your right, Century station is a nice jail, i never been thee but have family who has.Ive been to visit countless times there and even visiting is easy compared to Mens Central Jail, that place is a dungeun i swear.Nasty all around and the Sheriffs attitudes need an adjustment there.They treat people who visit inmates like trash,even the employees do too.
Yep thats why the jails are so overcrowded now because people getting locked up for petty stuff.Its not gonna be too long before more violence erupts like it did a few months ago in wayside.

[Christina Marie]

Me too...been there to visit and have had loved ones there. And it was a nice station. Its a damn shame they close it. Alot of room there. I am just waiting for the summer heat to kick in....its going to be bad/jump off.

Marie your right, Century station is a nice jail, i never been thee but have family who has.Ive been to visit countless times there and even visiting is easy compared to Mens Central Jail, that place is a dungeun i swear.Nasty all around and the Sheriffs attitudes need an adjustment there.They treat people who visit inmates like trash,even the employees do too.
Yep thats why the jails are so overcrowded now because people getting locked up for petty stuff.Its not gonna be too long before more violence erupts like it did a few months ago in wayside.

[d0zi]

yeah i think hes just trying to smooth talk the public into him winning but his promises will soon be broken and everyone will hate him... haha

[julialee]

Yep exactly.He's trying to make himself look good.He wants to take on a major problem thats been outta control for years and fix it like Super Cop and he cant.I think he's trying to compete with Chief Bratton, cause everbody knows The Sheriff and LAPD dont get along.I Think alot of poeple already dislike him , either that or their up his @$$ kissn it lol.

yeah i think hes just trying to smooth talk the public into him winning but his promises will soon be broken and everyone will hate him... haha

[julialee]

True that, seems like its hotter than hell already ugh.seems like its already started:-(.Been so bad tho for a long time, we wake up thinking whats next today:_(.And what Fox11 undercover says, they say by Sheriffs statistics driveby's have gone down since they did that Fox11 undercover report on ECC and Florencia in Feb of last year? , thats not true at all, hasnt really changed much,(things might get a lil quiet because aybe its too damm cold out), but it doesnt stop, they just havent done a news report on every killing or shooting.I see that with my own eyes:-(
[quote="Christina Marie"]Me too...been there to visit and have had loved ones there. And it was a nice station. Its a damn shame they close it. Alot of room there. I am just waiting for the summer heat to kick in....its going to be bad/jump off.



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[Christina Marie]

The CO's are already talking about the inmates are getting restless in the heat. Its only a matter of time before the first big riot/incident of the summer. Same thing happens on the streets.

True that, seems like its hotter than hell already ugh.seems like its already started:-(.Been so bad tho for a long time, we wake up thinking whats next today:_(.And what Fox11 undercover says, they say by Sheriffs statistics driveby's have gone down since they did that Fox11 undercover report on ECC and Florencia in Feb of last year? , thats not true at all, hasnt really changed much,(things might get a lil quiet because aybe its too damm cold out), but it doesnt stop, they just havent done a news report on every killing or shooting.I see that with my own eyes:-(

Me too...been there to visit and have had loved ones there. And it was a nice station. Its a damn shame they close it. Alot of room there. I am just waiting for the summer heat to kick in....its going to be bad/jump off.