An increase in gang violence in the past months in Kent and the surrounding area prompted the King County Council and executive to find some answers to the problem.
King County Executive Dow Constantine proposed Tuesday spending $1.4 million from the criminal justice reserve to hire more prosecutors, another sheriff’s office deputy and fund other programs directed at intervention and prevention.
The latest high-profile incident that prompted the action occurred July 23 at a Kent lowrider car show in the parking lot of the La Plaza strip mall, 23311 Pacific Highway S.
At least two shooters connected to gangs shot and injured 12 people. A gang retaliatory shooting later that same night injured one man at a Kent East Hill apartment complex. Kent Police continue to investigate the crime and have not yet made any arrests.
County Councilwoman Julia Patterson, who represents District 5 encompassing much of the area where gang activity occurs, said the criminal justice system and human services was asked to provide suggestions.
The proposal released by the executive that will go before the council for approval is to spend money on seven programs.
The programs include three deputy prosecutors and a paralegal for the prosecutor’s office to work only on gang cases at a cost of about $450,000. The executive’s office noted the prosecutor’s office lost federal funding that was directed at gang prosecution.
About $30,000 would be spent on equipment for the sheriff’s office gang unit including ballistic vests, binoculars, video equipment and other supplies.
A storefront deputy would be added to the White Center neighborhood at a cost of $179,000.
About $15,000 would be spent on the sheriff’s office Latino education outreach program. Money would be used to pay for Spanish-language radio and television spots, translated materials and community event coordination in east, south and west King County.
The Nurse Family Partnership Program focused on White Center, Burien, Tukwila and SeaTac would get two more nurses at a cost of $312,500.
The Back to School and Employment Training Program would get two case managers added for $309,000.
The Avanza project would receive about $137,000. The project is an education and employment training program for Latino youth at risk of dropping out of school or falling into the juvenile justice system.
Patterson said the plan is not “purely for suppression of the problem, (but) we are making a long-term investment.”
Patterson noted the gang issue “is so big we will not be able to solve it. We don’t have enough resources and some things are beyond our control. But we can make a difference in the upsurge (of gang violence).”
The councilwoman had her staff do research into why gang activity was increasing in south King County.
According to Patterson, some of the indicators are rising high-school dropout rates in gang areas and high rates of teen pregnancy. She also said high unemployment among the Latino population contributed to the problem.
“It creates a sense of hopelessness when someone has no high-school diploma and no job,” Patterson said. “People become vulnerable and easily lured into a gang. There are social factors at play in south King County.”
Patterson pointed out that Kent Police Chief Ken Thomas has done a good job of bringing together the law enforcement agencies in the affected areas to fight the problem as a group.
The group is called the South King County Violent Gang Initiative.
Thomas said for Kent the county money will mean the gang initiative group will have access to a full-time prosecutor for gang crimes and more legal support from the prosecutor’s office.
King County Councilman Reagan Dunn toured the La Plaza strip mall and other surrounding areas Aug. 24 with sheriff’s office detective Joe Gagliardi.
“We have to start funding public safety at adequate levels,” Dunn said.
The councilman noted high unemployment among teens and children being raised with the culture of gangs are serious problems.
“The best social program is a job,” Dunn said. “It’s not all enforcement. We have to have intervention. We cannot prosecute our way out of this.”
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