ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS
The Santa Rosa Police Department formed a gang investigation unit back in the late 1980's. Two officers were assigned to Violent Crimes Investigations (VCI) for support in tracking and validating gang members. These two officers served as support for the detectives who at that time were investigating all major felony crimes including gang related crimes. These officers were assigned to document and track gang activity without any "proactive" enforcement.
In the early 1990's, Santa Rosa as well as Sonoma County started to see an increase in violent gang related activity. The Chief of Police at that time realized that the problem would no doubt escalate if not addressed. During this period the police department formed a gang unit comprised of two full time police officers to investigate gang related crime. These two officers split their time between street enforcement and investigative duties. In 1996, one additional officer was added bringing the number of Gang Crime detectives to three. This team was the only full time gang investigative section north of San Francisco.
In 2006, after the Gang Team had been broken up due to budget and staffing shortages, the Santa Rosa Police Department reconstituted its anti-gang efforts. The Department formed the Gang Crimes Team, which is currently staffed with one Sergeant and seven detectives. One of the detectives is assigned to the North Bay Regional Gang Task Force, an FBI led effort to conduct pro-active long term investigations targeting criminal organizations throughout the North Bay.
Detectives assigned to the Gang Crime Team are responsible for...
- Investigating gang crimes
- Directed patrol targeting gang activity
- Collecting, Analyzing, and disseminating gang related intelligence information
- Testifying as gang experts in court
The team works closely with outside police agencies. The members of the Gang Crimes Team participate in the Mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force and support the gang prevention and intervention efforts taking place in the City of Santa Rosa. Our work with the members of this task force has increased the Police Department’s effectiveness by fostering closer relationships with numerous City, County, and private organizations working to reduce gang violence.