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DIfference Of Opinion About New Gang Report
KMPH Fox26
July 19, 2007
by Norma Yuriar & Brian Morrow

As Fresno Police Officers intensify their crackdown on gangs, a new report says the department is approaching the problem all wrong.

A U.S. study finds more police, stiffer penalties, and more jail time are not stopping Bulldog gang members from committing crimes.

Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer says he was shocked when he first read some of the information in the report. He was surprised to read that gang suppression tactics have failed, that gangs do not drive up crimes, and says all of those are false.

But the Chief does not agree with another aspect of the report, which is the need for more "prevention and intervention" programs.

The city of Fresno is spending more than $1 million a year helping Bulldog gang members turn their lives around.

According to the Fresno Police Department, more than a hundred former Bulldog gang members are in the process of trying to get counseling and turn their lives around.

The Chief says this proves the city's anti-gang program is not failing.

The report by the "Justice Policy Institute" is based on interviews, analysis, and hundreds of pages of previously published statistics.

Story Created: Jul 18, 2007 at 9:43 PM PDT
Story Updated: Jul 19, 2007 at 4:31 PM PDT