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Anti-gang work group's first
meeting will be July 30 in Yakima
Valley is appropriate venue, says 14th District
lawmaker
Rep. Charles Ross is pleased the
first meeting of the anti-gang work group created by the Legislature
will take place in Yakima on July 30. Ross and Sen. Jim Clements, who
serve the 14th Legislative District, both are members of the group and
will be in attendance at the meeting. The meeting will be followed by a
public hearing later that afternoon at the Miller Park Activities
Center, 602 North 4th Street.
"Over the past couple of
months we've seen one Valley community after another, most recently
Yakima, debate how to deal with gangs. I can't think of a better time to
bring the state into the discussion," said Ross, R-Naches.
"I have high hopes for
what this group can accomplish in the five months before our
recommendations are due back to the Legislature. Gang-related crimes
like 'tagging' and drug-dealing have seriously negative effects on our
communities, and in my mind we can't have a state-level response soon
enough."
Work group members are
scheduled to meet from 8 a.m. to approximately noon, and may take part
in tours or ride-alongs with Yakima law enforcement officers until 2
p.m. Starting at 3 p.m. the group will host a community meeting at the
Miller Park Activities Center to hear from the public about its
perspective on the issue of gangs. The public hearing will conclude no
later than 6 p.m.
The group's creation
is the result of
Senate Bill 5987, introduced by
Clements in response to renewed activity by criminal gangs in
communities across Washington. The new law
took effect Sunday.
Ross co-sponsored
House Bill 2215 and
HB 2224,
which was identical to an early version of the Senate bill legislators
adopted during their 2007 session.
Serving with Ross on the
work group will be two Democrat state legislators (one each from the
House and Senate) plus appointees
associated with the
Office of the Attorney General, local
law enforcement, prosecutors and municipal attorneys, criminal defense
attorneys, court administrators, prison or detention administrators and
probation officers, and experts in gang or delinquency prevention.
Ross and other work group
members are to evaluate and make recommendations regarding legislative
measures to combat gang-related crime, the creation of a statewide gang
information database, possible reforms to the juvenile justice system
for gang-related juvenile offenses, best practices for prevention and
intervention of youth gang membership, and the adoption of legislation
authorizing a civil anti-gang injunction. The group's report is due to
the Legislature no later than next Jan. 1. # # #
Contact: Rep. Ross, (360) 786-7856 or (509) 653-2340
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