A recent spike in gang violence has county officials working on
plans to curb the problem, including the creation of a
multi-jurisdictional law enforcement organization and possibly
declaring a state of emergency in the county.
Hollister – A recent spike in gang violence has county officials working on plans to curb the problem, including the creation of a multi-jurisdictional law enforcement organization and possibly declaring a state of emergency in the county.
Since October, Hollister has had four gang-related shootings and one gang-related stabbing. Law enforcement officials have reported an increase in gang-related activity in Hollister and throughout the region. Most recently, A 56-year-old man was shot twice on Nov. 28 after unknown gunmen fired at least 15 bullets from a 9mm handgun into a residence in the 1000 block of Sherwood Drive.
In an effort to find a solution to the problem of escalating gang violence, District Attorney John Sarsfield said he has had informal discussions with the County Administrative Officer and some county supervisors. Those discussions have yielded a plan to create a new law enforcement group charged solely with combating gangs. Sarsfield said he hopes to have new officers hired for the job rather than using existing personnel.
“That organization would be dedicated to gang suppression and enforcement, using every legal tool, every law enforcement tool available,” District Attorney John Sarsfield said.
According to Sarsfield, a “rough” sketch of the organization includes:
n Six new Hollister police officers
n Two new sheriff’s deputies
n One new probation officer
n A new part-time District Attorney’s Office prosecutor
n A new part-time city or county attorney
“Nothing formal has been decided,” Sarsfield said.
Councilman Brad Pike said he likes what little he has heard about the county’s plan, saying he will likely support it.
“I think that’s exactly the direction we need to go,” he said. “We need to utilize our resources. And since they’re limited, we have no other choice to make but to share resources. Obviously it’s one of the most important things, the safety of the whole community.”
Pike said he’d like to see a counseling component to the new agency to prevent young people on the verge of joining gangs to make a wiser decision and to help people safely get out of gangs.
Supervisor Anthony Botelho, who has been in on the recent discussions, said that a formalized plan will likely presented to the Board of Supervisors during its Dec. 20 meeting. He said gang violence is a problem that must be addressed by the county as well as the city.
“As one supervisor, I want to do something that is short-term and long-term to suppress these thugs,” he said. “We’re hoping to lend some county resources to city efforts of combating gang violence. It’s not just a city issue, it’s a countywide issue.”
Sarsfield said that once a plan is prepared, the county would look for funding sources to get money to hire personnel to staff the new organization.
“The key thing is to have additional bodies that are not on the ground now,” he said.
One possibility, Sarsfield said, is the Board of Supervisors declaring a “state of emergency” in the county in an effort to get state of federal funds.
At this point, county and city law enforcement officials haven’t gotten much information about the plan.
Sheriff Curtis Hill said he didn’t have an specifics, but he was aware that the county was moving in the direction of working with the city to address the gang problem.
“Basically it’s acknowledging, based on events here in the last few weeks, that it’s an opportunity for us to formally put together a strategy.”
Hill also said that on Monday one of his deputies would move up to a detective position and focus solely on gang crime.
Hollister Police Chief Jeff Miller said he had been notified that the county was working on a plan to deal with gang violence, but he hasn’t been apprised of any details – such as staffing and funding. He said the department currently works with other county, state and regional law enforcement agencies and has made squelching gangs a priority. But, he added, the issue of understaffing in the department is a constant obstacle to anti-gang efforts.
Currently the department has 27 able-bodied sworn officers, including the chief and two captains, out of 32 slotted positions – nearly half the national average of 1.5 officers per 1,000 people, according to Miller.
Without more details, Miller was reluctant to discuss the county’s burgeoning plan.
Chief Probation Officer Deborah Botts also said she had not heard much about the specifics of the plan being developed, but said she is always willing to cooperate with other law enforcement agencies.
Luke Roney covers local government and the environment for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or at [email protected]
