Gang Injunctions Key to Crime Fight

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My fellow Board members and I on February 6 approved the creation of a Gang Injunction unit within the District Attorney’s office. The unit will complement existing staffing currently engaged in the County’s War on Gangs.When I was seeking the appointment to the First District Supervisor seat, having already discussed the need with District Attorney Mike Ramos, I reiterated the necessity that the County begin using civil injunctions as another tool against criminal gangs. Injunctions can be an effective way to protect our community from some of the most dangerous criminals in our county. I am happy that my fellow Board members quickly allowed an injunctions proposal to come to the Board for approval. This is an important next step in our County’s War on Gangs, which began two years ago.

The use of injunctions will serve as an additional tool to crack down on gang members and their criminal activities. Just as we created ‘predator-free zones’ when we created the county sex offender ordinance recently, gang injunctions will create ‘gang-free zones’ in areas where gang activity is a problem.

Approval of the proposal appropriated $535,983 in annual funding for two experienced Deputy District Attorneys who will perform the necessary investigations required to secure injunctions in civil court. The funding comes from Proposition 172 sales tax revenues. State law authorizes the District

Attorney to file injunctions in both county unincorporated areas as well as in the County’s cities. District Attorney Ramos pledged to support the County’s cities in filing injunctions.