Gangs’ rise, role in crime get attention

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell heard an earful Saturday afternoon from local, state and federal authorities about Spokane’s street gangs and efforts to fight a group of criminals that officials think are responsible for much of Spokane County’s violent crimes and drug trafficking.

Spokane was Cantwell’s fourth stop in a series of statewide meetings to discuss street gangs, which she thinks are strongly related to methamphetamine trafficking. Cantwell also visited Kelso, Vancouver and Everett.

The Democratic senator is co-sponsoring a bill, referred to as the “gang abatement and prevention act,” along with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. The bill would authorize a billion dollars over a five-year period to help identify gang members and at-risk youth, said Cantwell spokeswoman Elizabeth Ferranti. The bill also proposes longer prison sentences for drug-related gang murders and tougher penalties for those who recruit school-age children into gangs.

“It is unfortunate gang members consider Spokane a destination,” Cantwell said Saturday. “Gang members are mules for methamphetamine. Washington is at the epicenter of this gang/methamphetamine problem.”

Law enforcement officials said although some gang members deal in methamphetamine, they also sell cocaine and heroin. Dealing drugs is how gangs make their money, officials said.

Gangs arrived in Washington during the late 1980s, mainly from California, to hide from that state’s law enforcement and rival gang members, police officials said. Also, they added, it was good for gang enterprise – crack cocaine.

Since 1985, the number of confirmed gang members has grown from 25 to more than 900, said Spokane police Officer Mike Roberge. Spokane also has more than 7,000 gang associates – those who haven’t been documented as gang members, but who are participating in the gang culture.

Spokane has about 50 recognized gangs, 10 of which evolved locally, Roberge said. The gangs are subsets of six main groups: Crips, Bloods, Folk, People, Nortenos and Surenos.

Spokane’s Gang Enforcement Team, composed of local, state and federal authorities, joined forces 10 months ago. Since then, the team has seized more than 100 guns and a large quantity of drugs, officials said.

“We work in total harmony,” said Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich. “Gangs are nothing new; they’re opportunists. A long time ago, we realized we couldn’t address firearm violence and drug issues just within Spokane County lines; it’s a regional problem.”

Cantwell asked the Gang Enforcement Team members to tell her their biggest concerns.

They told her that 26 percent of Spokane County Jail is populated by gang members incarcerated for crimes ranging from drug dealing to violent assault, and there is an increasing number of street gang members migrating to the area.

“Most importantly, we are trying to keep our children safe,” said Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor Mark Cipolla, who works with three others in his office to prosecute crimes committed by gang members and associates. The deputy prosecutor said he often works on cases where 16-year-olds have come up from the juvenile system to adult court. “Once a child goes into the adult system on a violent crime, you’ve got a career criminal.”

Those between the ages of 14 and 20 are the most active in gang activities, Roberge said.

Scott Thomson, a U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agent, said, “The goal is to reduce violent crime, improve rundown neighborhoods and make neighborhoods a safe place to live.”

Cantwell plans to take the information she gathered from meetings around the state back to Washington, D.C., to help keep gang enforcement efforts funded.