[LSNN] Opinion Editorial: A night with LSSD Operation Safe Streets: What I learned

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A night with LSSD Operation Safe Streets: What I learned

 

A political lack of preventative strategy means Operation Safe Streets serves a band-aid to South Central’s main issues. I ride along with OSS detectives to learn more about the difficulties they face

 

 

By PHOEBE HOLTER

 

Los Santos, SA - For the detectives involved in the Los Santos County Sheriff's Department’s gang investigative unit, the struggle against gang violence in South Central Los Santos is one of containment. Community policing efforts, both from the LSSD and the LSPD, can only go so far to stem the tide of rising gang violence. Progress on one block is met with another failing into further violence. To this day, South Central Los Santos maintains one of the highest homicide rates nationwide. 

 

The task of the Operation Safe Streets unit is straight forward, at least on paper. In short, the unit identifies gangs, targets them based on a selective set of parameters and then focuses their attention on the target gang in order to suppress them via prosecution. 

 

“Operation Safe Streets is a proactive unit, its philosophy  is to vigorously prosecute and incarcerate the hard-core violent gang members of selected target gangs. Target gangs are chosen by the number of members, the amount of violence, and their geographical area, in relation to other gangs in the station area.“

 

“By patrolling these areas and through the investigation of each gangs' criminal acts, it is hoped that eventually the particular gang will no longer be considered a major problem” - Detective Jonathan Medina

 

This strategy has shown positive results in some areas. In Rancho, the notorious South Side Varrio Rancho 13 has been weakened thanks to targeted suppression by the OSS unit. “It was a burden we took off the shoulders of the Rancho community, something we're proud of,” Jonathan Medina (a Operation Safe Street detective from the Los Santos County Sheriff’s Department) told me during a ride along with him. 

 

 

Jamestown projects, a OSS stomping ground

 

 

It is, after all, law enforcement personnel such as Detective Medina who clock in knowing they face the same problems day-in, day-out. “My old boss used to say, combating gang violence is like punching water,” Detective Medina said, sharing his frustrations with the situation on the ground. “No matter how hard you hit, you'll never make a dent.”

 

Despite the Sisyphean nature of their task, lack of motivation is not an issue for detectives like Medina. “But when we go out there and see innocent people, kids too, get hit with 7.62mm bullets, that's more than enough reason for me to get myself out of bed.” 

 

But the chain of events that lead to such shootings starts long before detectives like Medina get a chance to intervene. A vicious cycle of poverty, distrust of local authorities, lack of opportunity and reciprocal violence leads teenagers as young as thirteen into gang life. Where promises of security and often more importantly, power and wealth (often through the sale of drugs) translate into more unstable neighbourhoods, the proliferation of more gangs and most importantly: more shootings.

 

“You have your parents, your friends telling you to not trust the police. Your friends get involved with the local gang, they look cool, they have some money due to narcotic related sales.”

 

“Of course you are going to follow and do the same thing, you know? It is natural, it is human. These people have been forgotten in these areas” - Detective Andrew Massey

 

 

Take for instance, the Jamestown projects. One of the regular haunts of law enforcement and local gangs alike. The area itself is another one of the target areas frequented by the OSS which has seen steady progress, but the underlying problems in the project remains. “These people cannot pay the bills, so they resort to narcotics, ” Detective Andrew Massey told me during my ride along with the OSS team when we stopped off at the area. “That’s how a gang forms. Money motives, that's about it.”

 

“We have done our best to contain this area. Years of working this case, we've finally made a real dent in them. However, you know what? Doesn't matter. Because we have other areas that are popping off, you know?” - Detective Andrew Massey

 

 

"Death alley"

 

Another area, the so-called “death alley” that serves as a no-man's land between Chamberlain Varrio Tortilla Flats and the  83 Hoover Criminals Gang, serves as an example of a series of project blocks where the situation has deteriorated to the point of resembling a war-zone. “Precisely, this is a no-man's land, shooting range for local gangs”, Detective Medina told me, before explaining the cryptic local gang related graffiti and its meaning. “You're caught lingering around and you're with the rival set? You're gonna get shot down.”

 

Neighbourhood lines drawn seemingly by race, also play their part. People from minority groups who feel isolated or alienated from wider society can turn to local gangs for kinship and relatability. In turn, investment into these areas never comes which deepens the wealth divide and contributes to the lack of opportunity that drives more and more to gang life. “Most gangs stay in their little safe zones, some probably never left the South End. They're quarantined behind their racial walls,” Medina said.  “It's one of the main issues we face. And race wars are a thing, don't let no one tell you otherwise.”

 

 

Identifying the issues is easy. Identifying the solutions is not. In any case, in order for Operation Safe Streets to serve as more than an attempt at papering over Los Santos’ cracks and to contain the violence to a specific area of the city, more political effort has to be made in the prevention of gang crime. Rather than the interception of gang members and the suppression of active gangs. 

 

Incident outside of the B.J Smith Community Centre

 

“This definitely needs to be fixed politically. Our proactive policing and community policing can only do so much,” OSS Detective Andrew Massey spoke during I ride along I shared with him. “We are basically containing the situation. You take one gun off the street? Five are distributed at the same time you are taking it off .”

 

In terms of what shape this could take, some imagination is needed. A useful resource already exists at the B.J Smith Community Centre, which was opened in April of this year. Legalization of illicit drugs (which failed previously, when the legalization of marijuana was blocked in the Senate at the start of the year), could cut off access to cash flows. Legalization of sex work could serve the same purpose, as well as giving another route to those who are involved. 

 

Further investment in education, in social services and so forth are also all ideas for policy makers to think over.

 

Inside the B.J Smith Community Centre

 

But all of that takes time, which means for those involved in the gang unit for the Los Santos County Sheriff's Department: it’s going to be a long time before those cycles can start to be broken. The violence also can spill over onto the department itself, which means that law enforcement find themselves facing fatal consequences. This was the case for one of Detective Medina's colleagues: Sergeant Brad Pulento.

 

“I... We lost someone we value over on that street , it was our Gang Enforcement Team sergeant. Brad Pulento” - Detective Jonathan Medina

 

For now, they continue to combat gang crime in the present. It’s up to policymakers to fight it in the future, and try to push for prevention strategies that will see real change to the safety of our streets. 

 

 

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Edited July 25, 2021 by books

[hamin]

Username: 1pizza

Comment: You expect there to be a real change on the streets when our lawmakers are too busy with idiotic amendments to the most unimportant laws out there and the news are too busy showing how bikers aren't fuck boys anymore? Shout out to all the people you were with, they're doing God's work, but on the other hand our politicans and journalists need to step up their game and not just stand there while the LSPD and LSSD risk their lives out there every night.

Edited July 25, 2021 by HaminLord

[Ace_]

Username: Ace

Comment: Why you blaming the LSNN for the fuck boys thing, that "article" (ridiculous btw, that thing can't even be called an article) was published by TVR. Whatever that is, it's an embarassment for journalism. Just stick with LSNN 🙂

Edited July 25, 2021 by YB

[hamin]

2 minutes ago, YB said:

 

Username: Ace

Comment: Why you blaming the LSNN for the fuck boys thing, that "article" (ridiculous btw, that thing can't even be called an article) was published by TVR. Whatever that is, it's an embarassment for journalism. Just stick with LSNN 🙂

 

Username: 1pizza

Comment: You see me mentioning LSNN there? No. If you want, I'll give you examples. But its time for journalists across this state to start covering the real issues so the kids out there realize banging is just going to get them either killed or their lives ruined after they get arrested and won't be able to ever get a proper job when they grow up.

[Ace_]

1 minute ago, HaminLord said:

 

Username: 1pizza

Comment: You see me mentioning LSNN there? No. If you want, I'll give you examples. But its time for journalists across this state to start covering the real issues so the kids out there realize banging is just going to get them either killed or their lives ruined after they get arrested and won't be able to ever get a proper job when they grow up.

 

Username: Ace

Comment: True

[Lucky.]

Username: Steven Papazyan

Comment: Ok ! Doin good job great job but when are they Gonna crack on North vine wood armo crooks drivin Rolls Royce nd stealing Money off our Medi care system  ??????  

 

 

[Midwest]

Username:BehindTheTanAndGreenDoor

Comment: Some changes can be implemented at the Bureau level but aren't in regards to a focus on prevention and disruption rather than purely investigations and enforcement. Legalization of drugs, even weed, does not cut cash flow, it allows pre-established (criminal) entities to already have a foothold and begin to exploit a legal business to support their criminal enterprise. 

[authentic lifestyle]

Username: ECN_EL_PANDILLERO

Comment: fuck that puerco faggot Medina before being a fucking investigator he used to get pissed on in my varrio, by Froggy N them... old motherfuckers that saw right through him... lame ass fool... heard stories about him shitting himself N gettin robbed by the bazar... fucking lame...

[Yerimya_Marutyan]

1 hour ago, authentic lifestyle said:

Username: ECN_EL_PANDILLERO

Comment: fuck that puerco faggot Medina before being a fucking investigator he used to get pissed on in my varrio, by Froggy N them... old motherfuckers that saw right through him... lame ass fool... heard stories about him shitting himself N gettin robbed by the bazar... fucking lame...

Username:Big_GoofyRu65

Comment: Dis tha same gay soufsider nigga that be acting lie ahh lul ass hoe on tha east side. Nigga Ion een know how yo crum bum ass set ain't defunct yet. Defunct ass MonkeyShit ass niggas bra, on Pz my nigga. Spic ass niggas runnin round wit rat ass reli's n shit. Rats all over these wanna be soufsiders. On Pz nigga, Ion know why you talkin crazy lie I seen yhu onna souf. Defunct ass set, nobody claim that fufu ass shit. You n yo set bogus. 

[Striker]

Username: ฿adger8ØØ
Comment: TuuwuuF