Uh-Oh in little ole Rogers, Arkansas
Rogers Police Forming Anti-Gang Unit
By Don Dailey
The Morning News
ROGERS -- The Rogers Police Department announced Monday the formation of a crime-suppression unit that will focus on eliminating the city's escalating street-gang activity.
Rogers Police Chief Steve Helms said the department is being proactive, but a leader in a local anti-gang organization thinks the department is acting hastily.
Manny Sepulveda, vice chairman of the fledgling Northwest Arkansas Anti-Gang Committee formed by volunteers to fight street gangs, said the concept of a police anti-gang unit makes sense to him, but he hasn't seen the justification for it in Rogers.
"How can you react without knowing what the problem is," Sepulveda said. "I'm very disappointed that having an anti-gang committee that involves business, law enforcement and the community, that the Rogers Police Department didn't consult us."
Steve Metheney, committee chairman, said Sepulveda doesn't speak for the committee. Metheney said he supports any effort by law enforcement agency to combat gangs.
Cpl. Kelley Cradduck, police spokesman, said the department knows there is gang activity in Rogers and is getting in front of the problem early.
"We're not ducking our heads in the sand," Cradduck said. "We're taking it on right up front."
The crime-suppression unit will consist of four to eight officers who will not be taken off their regular duties but will use overtime hours to work on the unit. The department hopes to have the unit on the street by mid-November, Cradduck said.
Because most gang affiliations in Rogers are with predominantly Hispanic gangs, Sepulveda said, the plans raise the specter of racial profiling, which was the basis of a 2001 lawsuit against the department.
Rogers was sued by Hispanics who felt they were contacted by police officers based on their ethnicity. The city settled the lawsuit in 2003 and did not admit wrongdoing.
Helms said the unit's officers will have specialized training in gang suppression and doesn't think profiling will be a problem.
As a result of the lawsuit, the department has developed an in-depth documentation process to make clear the reasons for contacts with individuals. That process will show the unit's activity's are not racially motivated, Helms said.
The officers in the unit will target known or suspected gang members and will develop information about their activities and associations, Cradduck said.
Sepulveda said he is also concerned the unit will only move gang activity out of Rogers and into other Northwest Arkansas cities. He wants to see a regional approach to gang suppression.
Helms said he wants gang members to know they aren't welcome in Rogers, and hopes to create a database on people involved in gang activity that will follow them wherever they go and can be shared with other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
Cradduck said one of the tasks of the anti-gang unit will be to get an accurate count of the number of gang members in Rogers.
Many officers have expressed an interest in working on the unit because they see firsthand the crime that emanates from gang activity, Cradduck said.
Helms said the department's budget can handle the extra overtime pay, and he will monitor the unit's officers for signs of overwork.
"Throwing some money at it (gangs) to get some things accomplished is a must-do," Helms said.
By Don Dailey
The Morning News
ROGERS -- The Rogers Police Department announced Monday the formation of a crime-suppression unit that will focus on eliminating the city's escalating street-gang activity.
Rogers Police Chief Steve Helms said the department is being proactive, but a leader in a local anti-gang organization thinks the department is acting hastily.
Manny Sepulveda, vice chairman of the fledgling Northwest Arkansas Anti-Gang Committee formed by volunteers to fight street gangs, said the concept of a police anti-gang unit makes sense to him, but he hasn't seen the justification for it in Rogers.
"How can you react without knowing what the problem is," Sepulveda said. "I'm very disappointed that having an anti-gang committee that involves business, law enforcement and the community, that the Rogers Police Department didn't consult us."
Steve Metheney, committee chairman, said Sepulveda doesn't speak for the committee. Metheney said he supports any effort by law enforcement agency to combat gangs.
Cpl. Kelley Cradduck, police spokesman, said the department knows there is gang activity in Rogers and is getting in front of the problem early.
"We're not ducking our heads in the sand," Cradduck said. "We're taking it on right up front."
The crime-suppression unit will consist of four to eight officers who will not be taken off their regular duties but will use overtime hours to work on the unit. The department hopes to have the unit on the street by mid-November, Cradduck said.
Because most gang affiliations in Rogers are with predominantly Hispanic gangs, Sepulveda said, the plans raise the specter of racial profiling, which was the basis of a 2001 lawsuit against the department.
Rogers was sued by Hispanics who felt they were contacted by police officers based on their ethnicity. The city settled the lawsuit in 2003 and did not admit wrongdoing.
Helms said the unit's officers will have specialized training in gang suppression and doesn't think profiling will be a problem.
As a result of the lawsuit, the department has developed an in-depth documentation process to make clear the reasons for contacts with individuals. That process will show the unit's activity's are not racially motivated, Helms said.
The officers in the unit will target known or suspected gang members and will develop information about their activities and associations, Cradduck said.
Sepulveda said he is also concerned the unit will only move gang activity out of Rogers and into other Northwest Arkansas cities. He wants to see a regional approach to gang suppression.
Helms said he wants gang members to know they aren't welcome in Rogers, and hopes to create a database on people involved in gang activity that will follow them wherever they go and can be shared with other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
Cradduck said one of the tasks of the anti-gang unit will be to get an accurate count of the number of gang members in Rogers.
Many officers have expressed an interest in working on the unit because they see firsthand the crime that emanates from gang activity, Cradduck said.
Helms said the department's budget can handle the extra overtime pay, and he will monitor the unit's officers for signs of overwork.
"Throwing some money at it (gangs) to get some things accomplished is a must-do," Helms said.
posted by Steve Nawojczyk at
9:13 AM
1 Comments:
I'm glad to see that we have a proactive Chief that's taking the initiative to reduce Gang Crime. I'm also glad to see that the city is willing to back the department financially. Keep up the good work Chief Helms!
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