New prosecutor position to target gangs
BOISE – In the latest move by state officials to quash southwestern Idaho’s growing gang problem, the state will join with several Treasure Valley cities and counties to pay for a new federal attorney to focus solely on prosecuting gang crimes, Gov. Jim Risch announced Tuesday.
Risch, along with U.S. Attorney for Idaho Tom Moss, Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, and city and county representatives, signed an agreement Tuesday for the state and local governments to pay for a new special assistant U.S. attorney position, expected to be filled by mid-January.
The job was created so more Idaho gang cases can be prosecuted in federal court, Risch said. Criminals convicted in federal court are sent to federal prison outside Idaho.
“Gang violence has been a terrible scourge on our communities, and today we are sending the message that it will not be tolerated,” Risch said during a signing ceremony in his office.
Housing Idaho convicts in federal prison saves the state about $16,000 per person, per year, Risch said.
It also helps break apart gangs and deprive them of their leadership, Moss said. Federal prisoners are not eligible for parole.
“They lose contact with their gangs; they’re not in prison with some of them and have others visiting them every week,” Moss said. “We all feel that’s a very distinct advantage.”
The new prosecutor will focus on violence and gun and drug crimes, Moss said, and may also deal with immigration issues.
The new attorney’s salary will be jointly paid for one year with $25,000 from the state and $75,000 from Treasure Valley cities and counties. The Treasure Valley partnership, which includes southwestern Idaho cities such as Nampa and Eagle, as well as Ada and Canyon counties, has committed to funding the job for a second year, and Risch said he hopes the state will budget for it as well.
Over the past year, state officials have passed tougher anti-gang laws and formed special police task forces. Law enforcement agencies have been creating a database of known gang members, and Nampa police say theirs contains at least 500 names.
Other metropolitan areas in the country are plagued by gang-related problems that have grown out of control, Risch said, and it’s time to stop it in the state’s most populous area – Ada and Canyon counties have a combined population of a half-million people – before it gets worse.
“We want Idahoans to know that we are serious about this,” he said. “That is not going to happen here.”