From WashPo: D.C. Crime-Fighting Plan Expands Anti-Gang Tools

From Saturday's Washington Post. To view the entire article click HERE.

Anything that cracks down on the crime element especially gangs which target our youth and terrorize our community gets my vote. Interesting to see how the Council votes on this.

Article excerpt...

D.C. Crime-Fighting Plan Expands Anti-Gang Tools Members Could Be Barred From Certain Areas Under Proposal
By David Nakamura

Washington Post Staff Writer

Saturday, October 4, 2008; B01

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty introduced an anti-crime proposal yesterday that would make it easier for prosecutors to detain people before trials and allow officials to seek civil injunctions that would bar gang members from specific neighborhoods or activities.

At a news conference in Congress Park, a violence-plagued neighborhood in Southeast Washington, Fenty (D) said the intent was to aggressively target violent crime and escalating gang activity by using "best practices" drawn from other cities, including Los Angeles, which has a major gang problem.

"This will give law enforcement more tools they need to fight crime," said Fenty, flanked by Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier, D.C. Acting Attorney General Peter Nickles and Patricia Riley, special counsel to the U.S. attorney.

The proposal, written as a bill for the D.C. Council's consideration, comes as city officials are moving to change gun regulations in the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling that the city's longtime ban on handguns is unconstitutional. Last month, the council adopted emergency legislation to end storage requirements for firearms and permit ownership of semiautomatic handguns, and the Senate might consider legislation approved by the House that would abolish the city's gun laws.

Lanier said that although violent crime has decreased overall, police have been frustrated trying to stop the most serious offenders. The bill would double to two years the mandatory minimum sentence for a felony committed while possessing a gun and make the sentence at least five years for those already convicted of a violent crime.

Nickles cited the anti-gang provision as a "best practice" adopted after examination of similar laws in Los Angeles and other cities. Under the proposal, officials would have to identify three people acting together to prove they are part of a gang, instead of the six required now.
Officials could then seek a civil injunction banning the gang from, for example, entering a location where it might have been intimidating residents. If gang members violated the civil injunction, Nickles said, they could be prosecuted for crimes.

If enacted Nickles said, the crime measure would be used to target longtime neighborhood crews and gangs with national affiliations that have been setting up bases in the District.