Regional Cooperation to Fight Gangs in PA
Five-city, four-county approach to fighting gangs makes the most sense …
The Bloods, the Crips, the Latin Kings — and those that Northampton County District Attorney John M. Morganelli refers to as ''homegrown gangs'' — don't respect the borders of counties or municipalities. As police officers know, state borders don't even mean much when making money illegally is the objective. Recognizing that, the mayors and police chiefs of five mid-size cities met Friday with federal and county prosecutors in the federal courthouse in Allentown.
The meeting was called by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan, who well recognizes that gangs are a particular problem in the cities along Routes 22 and 222. Though federal authorities have cooperated well with county and city police forces in the past, Friday's meeting marked the first time the mayors and police chiefs of Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Reading and Lancaster met with the district attorneys of Lehigh, Northampton, Lancaster and Berks counties.
The counties involved include more than a million residents, and it isn't just the cities affected by gang-related crime, though that more often is the case. One of the advantages of regional cooperation, Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan told The Morning Call for a story Saturday, would be better leverage in applying for federal anti-gang grant money.
The meeting Friday came on the heels of an appointment by Mr. Morganelli four days earlier of former Easton police Lt. Barry Golazeski to a new county detective position, created to crack down on gangs. The goal will be arrests under the state's corrupt organizations statute, using wiretaps and informants, much as federal prosecutors use to put organized-crime families behind bars.
Allentown usually gets the most attention among the three Valley cities for its violent crime. After a record 21 homicides in 2005, Allentown police established a gang tip line and said they would begin keeping closer tabs on the city's seven known street gangs.
But Easton also has a serious problem with gangs. Lt. Golazeski estimated that Easton's gangs number about a dozen and Mr. Morganelli said there are signs of the MS-13 gang, whose roots are in Central America, in the Slate Belt. (Yes, the Slate Belt — proving gang activity isn't just a big-city problem.)
Mr. Morganelli is convinced the first homicide of the year in Easton on Feb. 7 was gang-related. Police suspect a 14-year-old boy, and they believe he got his gun from a member of the Bloods who also was charged with homicide. In addition, two juvenile witnesses were placed in protective custody because gang members allegedly were among those who threatened to kill the witnesses.
The newly expanded, regional approach of law enforcement officials stands the best chance yet of fighting crime, especially along the Routes 22 and 222 corridors. Calls for curfews (see editorial below) and other easy-fix strategies can't have nearly as much impact on the crux of the problem: burgeoning gang activity.
The Bloods, the Crips, the Latin Kings — and those that Northampton County District Attorney John M. Morganelli refers to as ''homegrown gangs'' — don't respect the borders of counties or municipalities. As police officers know, state borders don't even mean much when making money illegally is the objective. Recognizing that, the mayors and police chiefs of five mid-size cities met Friday with federal and county prosecutors in the federal courthouse in Allentown.
The meeting was called by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan, who well recognizes that gangs are a particular problem in the cities along Routes 22 and 222. Though federal authorities have cooperated well with county and city police forces in the past, Friday's meeting marked the first time the mayors and police chiefs of Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Reading and Lancaster met with the district attorneys of Lehigh, Northampton, Lancaster and Berks counties.
The counties involved include more than a million residents, and it isn't just the cities affected by gang-related crime, though that more often is the case. One of the advantages of regional cooperation, Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan told The Morning Call for a story Saturday, would be better leverage in applying for federal anti-gang grant money.
The meeting Friday came on the heels of an appointment by Mr. Morganelli four days earlier of former Easton police Lt. Barry Golazeski to a new county detective position, created to crack down on gangs. The goal will be arrests under the state's corrupt organizations statute, using wiretaps and informants, much as federal prosecutors use to put organized-crime families behind bars.
Allentown usually gets the most attention among the three Valley cities for its violent crime. After a record 21 homicides in 2005, Allentown police established a gang tip line and said they would begin keeping closer tabs on the city's seven known street gangs.
But Easton also has a serious problem with gangs. Lt. Golazeski estimated that Easton's gangs number about a dozen and Mr. Morganelli said there are signs of the MS-13 gang, whose roots are in Central America, in the Slate Belt. (Yes, the Slate Belt — proving gang activity isn't just a big-city problem.)Mr. Morganelli is convinced the first homicide of the year in Easton on Feb. 7 was gang-related. Police suspect a 14-year-old boy, and they believe he got his gun from a member of the Bloods who also was charged with homicide. In addition, two juvenile witnesses were placed in protective custody because gang members allegedly were among those who threatened to kill the witnesses.
The newly expanded, regional approach of law enforcement officials stands the best chance yet of fighting crime, especially along the Routes 22 and 222 corridors. Calls for curfews (see editorial below) and other easy-fix strategies can't have nearly as much impact on the crux of the problem: burgeoning gang activity.
posted by Braye Cloud at
8:14 AM
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