02.24.07

During Statewide Tour, Cantwell Works with Local Law Enforcement to Combat Rise in Gang Violence

One in Four Spokane County Jail Inmates are Gang Members

SPOKANE, WA - Saturday, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) convened a community meeting with Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich, members of the police and sheriff gang units, federal and state law enforcement representatives, and local leaders to hear firsthand about the region's recent rise in gang violence. At the meeting, Cantwell also discussed federal initiatives to help local law enforcement combat gangs and gang-related crime. The president's most recent budget proposal undercuts federal support for local law enforcement. Cantwell is working to reverse these cuts and deliver better tools to first responders. She also introduced comprehensive new anti-gang legislation in the Senate last month.

"Gang membership, gang crime, and gang violence is surging in Spokane County," said Cantwell. "Our local law enforcement is doing great work meeting this threat head on, but they need federal support. That means delivering the resources and tools to help them reduce violent crime and keep criminal gang members behind bars. We need to stop deep budget cuts that would pull resources out from under communities like Spokane because we cannot afford to ignore gang-related crime or its impact on our kids, our families, and our communities."

Spokane began seeing an influx of criminal street gangs in the late 1980s, and gang activity continued to increase during the 1990s along with a significant increase in drug-related crime. During the past five years, city and county law enforcement records show 4,796 gang-related arrests and at least 20 gang-related murders. Currently, the Spokane Police Department has only one officer and one civilian employee in its Gang Unit responsible for tracking all gang activity within the city.

At a time when communities nationwide need more resources to confront gang activity and gang-related crime, the president's budget proposal for fiscal year 2008 undercuts federal initiatives that deliver vital recourses to local law enforcement. The Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program faces $509 million in cuts—a 94 percent funding decrease. The Byrne/Justice Assistant Grant (JAG) program receives no specific funding under the president's proposal.

Byrne/JAG funds are distributed to states based on population and the level of recent violent crime in each state. Grants under the program aid law enforcement, courts and prosecutors, prevention and education programs, corrections and drug treatment, and planning and technology initiatives. During fiscal year 2006, Spokane County received $169,400 in Byrne/JAG grants. Cantwell has worked consistently to reverse years of cuts to the program and fund it at the full authorized level.

The COPS program provides state and local law enforcement agencies with grants to hire additional community police officers and purchase new crime-fighting technology. Cantwell is working to reverse the president's proposed cuts, and joined Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE) last month in introducing bipartisan legislation to reinvigorate the program, improve the grants process, and authorize a total of $1.15 billion for COPS. Since the program's creation in 1994, Washington has received more than $192 million in COPS grants, allowing law enforcement agencies to hire more that 1,900 additional officers and purchase $22 million in new technology.

In January, Cantwell joined Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) in introducing bipartisan legislation to combat violent gangs, reduce gang-related crime, and cut gang membership. The Gang Abatement and Prevention Act would establish new criminal gang offenses, strengthen punishments for existing crimes, identify and assist areas especially prone to gang violence, target at-risk youth for gang prevention initiatives, and improve the coordination of anti-gang efforts. The bill would also provide more than $1 billion for anti-gang initiatives, and contains several measures intended to keep repeat gang criminals and violent gang members behind bars.

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