Gangs Are Tough; We Can Be Tougher

Spokane doesn’t have to sit helplessly when drug-dealing gangs turn violent. Nor does the community need to panic.

To its credit, the city is doing neither one. Police Chief Terry Mangan has developed an aggressive, realistic response to a recent turf war among gangs. Affected business people and property owners are doing their part as well, working with police on tactics that will make the trouble spot - the 1100 block of West First Avenue - less hospitable for druggies and more hospitable for those who intend to arrest them.

Will it work? It did three years ago during an earlier turf skirmish. Authorities intensified police pressure and made numerous arrests under tough federal drug laws - and the problem abated.

This time, by assigning officers on an overtime basis, Mangan will beef up the police presence in the troubled area through October - when colder weather becomes his ally, forcing the street culture to chill.

Meanwhile, as the result of cooperation between business and the city, the troubled area is getting a heavy dose of surveillance cameras, lighting, fencing and no-parking signs. The effort is warranted; the area is home to a sizable number of vulnerable elderly, poor and disabled folks.

If the show of force prompts druggies to flee, Mangan pledges to follow wherever they go. Realistically, he warns that “these people are not going to go away. They’re making a lot of money selling drugs here.” If moved from one locale, he notes, they will go to somebody else’s neighborhood or street corner.

But the community is ready when they do. Police have built a neighborhood policing network that spans the city. This makes neighborhoods partners with law enforcement and gives them proven tools, such as civil lawsuits against landlords who provide druggies a haven.

Unfortunately, experience all over the nation indicates the drug trade is a chronic infection, requiring constant community effort.

Mangan also is realistic about the practical budgetary limits on the city’s ability to hire more and more police officers. While all of us support a strong police force, we especially can appreciate a nimble, innovative and efficient one.

Spokane has to keep a balance among all its priorities - not only law enforcement but also such constructive and essential programs as parks, libraries and street maintenance.

We have to commit aggressively to flare-ups like a gang war, while committing over the long term to the full range of endeavors that keep our city livable for the law-abiding - and uncomfortable for the creeps.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = John Webster/For the editorial board