City Documents its Steps to Combat Gang Violence

OFF THE WIRE
http://novato.patch.com/articles/city-documents-its-steps-to-combat-gang-violence
The city of Novato on Tuesday distributed a letter about gang infiltration in the city and the steps the city is taking to deal with increased gang infiltration. The letter was posted on the city's website, e-mailed to newsletter subscribers and shared via social media.
The letter, written jointly by City Manager Michael Frank and police Chief Joseph Kreins and more than 1,200 words long, was sent one day after a shooting left two men injured at the Hamilton Marketplace parking lot in what was believed to be a gang-related incident. One suspect, a 22-year-old woman, is in custody while the search is ongoing for other suspects.

Here is the letter:
Dear Novato Community,
As you may have heard, a gang‐related shooting occurred in Novato just after midnight on Sunday, January 2. Two adult victims were shot in the parking lot of the Hamilton Marketplace while seated inside a vehicle. Both victims suffered serious injuries. This incident appears to be gang‐related. The Novato Police Department currently has one suspect in custody and we are confident that our investigation will lead to additional arrests.
Such actions in our community are unacceptable.
As a community, Novato holds dear its safe and small town character. As your city government, we are committed to working to maintain these community values. Our Novato Police Department has been increasing its efforts in gang intervention and investigation during the past year. Unfortunately, gang activity is on the rise in the region and will require greater resources and efforts in the future. The purpose of this communication is to provide the community with some background, local and regional perspectives, and current efforts underway.
General Gang Membership in Bay Area and North Bay
In the Bay Area, there are a number of different gangs and membership is mainly based on ethnic and racial identity. Over the past 10 years, the North Bay has experienced a considerable growth in its gang population due to the developing trend of gang member migration to our region. This upsurge in the gang population has resulted in an escalation in the region's criminal activity. In the North Bay, the majority of gang members are Hispanic and are affiliated with either the Norteno or Sureno street gangs. Caucasian gang membership has also been on the rise in the North Bay, and there has been a proliferation of both outlaw motorcycle gangs along with white supremacists. These gangs are affiliated with associated prison gangs throughout California and the West Coast.
Local Gang Presence ‐‐ Novato, Marin County and Sonoma County
It is estimated that there are thousands of gang members living in the North Bay Area. There are more than 75 documented gangs in Marin, Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino counties. While there is no official count of gang members in Marin County, we estimate that there are several hundred gang members living in Marin's communities. Although Marin County has experienced serious incidents of criminal gang activity during the past 20 years, the county has documented a very small percentage of cases in comparison to the surrounding counties. Novato is certainly not immune from this criminal activity and we have experienced occasional incidents of violent gang activity; however, our community has avoided entrenched gang membership.
Unfortuna tely, this trend began to change in 2010, when we experienced an increase in cases of violent gang activity between San Rafael and Novato. During 2010, Novato experienced a handful of violent assaults involving gang members. The Police Department has also documented an increase in cases involving gang members in possession of various weapons, including firearms. To date, the violence has essentially been confined to gang versus gang activity. Sadly, it is clear that both Sureno and Norteno gang members are attempting to gain a foothold in Marin County, specifically Novato and San Rafael.
Current Efforts Under Way
Members of the Novato Police Department meet regularly with allied law enforcement agencies and the District Attorney's office to share gang intelligence and develop enforcement strategies to address gang activity. We worked very closely with both the Marin County Sheriff's Department and the San Rafael Police Department this past year to identify and prosecute gang members responsible for the violent gang activity mentioned above. We are also working with the California Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Our Marin County law enforcement agencies have also worked with the County Major Crimes Task Force and the County Parole and Probation Departments to conduct parole, probation and gang enforcement activities. We have submitted a request to the FBI to join an area‐wide task force (Safe Streets Task Force) focusing on criminal gang activities.
The Novato Police Department continues to work with community groups and school districts in an effort to address gang membership and gang activity. We recently joined an ad‐hoc gang prevention working group to develop strategies to address gang‐related issues. The task force includes the County School Superintendent, the Novato Unified School District Superintendent, San Rafael School Superintendent, Novato PD, San Rafael PD, and the Marin County Sheriff's Department. This group discussed a variety of model prevention programs and also agreed to launch a Gang Awareness and Identification Training Program that will be taught county‐wide to school district personnel. A planning committee has been established to design the training program. Additional training programs and gang prevention strategies were discussed for future consideration.
City Priority — Gang Intervention
In addition to the current efforts of the Police Department, we want to assure the community that preventing the expansion of gang activity is a top priority for the City. One of the City Council's Strategic Plan Goals is to, "Improve Safety and Build Community Connections" and one of the strategic objectives is to, "Increase public safety through prevention and intervention." A number of Strategic Plan action items specifically have gang prevention in mind, including the potential creation of a neighborhood enhancement team to work proactively on neighborhood crime issues. In addition, City staff will be working closely with the School District to explore programs that support gang prevention and youth development/ investment.
In addition, the newly passed sale tax increase, Measure F, specifically mentions gang prevention as a priority for funding. As we move through the budget process, we will be refining the work plan items of the Strategic Plan, as well as looking at various options to support gang suppression, intervention, and prevention.
Next Steps and More Information
The City Council, with leadership from the Police Department and the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, will be looking at various models and best practices for how to maintain our quality of life and prevent gangs from infiltrating our community. The City will continue to work with our local community groups and allied law enforcement agencies to develop both short and long‐term strategies to address continuing criminal activity associated with local street gangs.
If you want to stay informed on further City efforts on gang prevention and intervention, please connect with us through any or all of the avenues below. We will be providing more information and seeking input as we move forward.
Visit the City's website. Staff constantly updates the website with top stories and current news. The website is www.cityofnovato.org . On the website, subscribe to the City's "Our Town" monthly newsletter.
Sign up for electronic notifications (E‐Notifiers). Specifically, sign up for the "Police" and "GeneraCity News" subscription lists. This link is www.cityofnovato.org/ index.aspx? page=640
Become a fan of the City's Facebook page and follow the City on Twitter. The City's Facebook pagecan be viewed at www.facebook.com/OurTownNovato and our Twitter account can be accessed at www.twitter.com and searching for "TweetNovato."
The City Council and staff believe that as a community working together, we can leverage our past accomplishments and find new solutions to actively meet the challenge of stopping gangs from gaining a foothold in Novato.
If you have further questions, comments or suggestions, please contact us at city©novato.org or 415‐899‐8900.

Thank you,
Michael Frank, City Manager
Joseph Kreins, Chief of Police
http://novato.patch.com/articles/city-documents-its-steps-to-combat-gang-violence