Airway Heights on gang watch

AIRWAY HEIGHTS – In response to increasing gang crimes in Airway Heights, city officials are considering a new ordinance that would forbid all gang-related crimes on all private property within city limits.

A public hearing on the measure is set for Sept. 15 at 6 p.m. in the City Council chambers.

“Criminal street gangs and associates are becoming more prolific in the Spokane area,” said Airway Heights police Chief Lee Bennett, whose department sees one to two cases a week of crimes involving gang members or associates. The people committing those crimes in Airway Heights are often related to gangs in Spokane, he said.

The proposed ordinance would make it illegal for property owners, such as landlords, to knowingly let gang crimes or gang activity continue on their premises. Bennett said the measure will give the city some leverage against private property owners as gang crimes continue to increase.

“It’s easier to stay on top of them than it is to play catch up,” he said, adding that gang activity in Airway Heights is rising in step with activity in Spokane.

Many gangs in Spokane County deal in drug trafficking, specifically marijuana from Canada and cocaine and methamphetamines from the Southwest, according to Spokane County sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Dave Reagan.

“Many of the gangs work in concert to supply the drug trade,” Reagan said. About 60 to 70 gangs operate in Spokane County, with more than 400 members or associates dealing in drugs, prostitution rings or other organized crime, he said.

Many prisoners in Spokane jails are involved with gangs, and inmates at Geiger Corrections Center near Airway Heights are no exception, Reagan said. Families of prisoners may sometimes move to Airway Heights to be closer, bringing more high-risk activity to the area, he added.

“It’s reasonable to expect there is gang activity associated with the prison population that is now found in Airway Heights and around in the West Plains,” Reagan said.

Bennett said police usually discover gang members in Airway Heights when the person commits some other crime.

Domestic violence is the biggest crime in Airway Heights, Bennett said, followed by theft and assault. Severe addiction to drugs like methamphetamines and cocaine is often the driving force behind these crimes.

“It (drugs) creates crime,” Bennett said.