Police Follow Through on New Gang Strategy

By Chuck Sudo in News on Oct 26, 2010 1:30PM

Remember all the rigmarole following Jody Weis's meeting with gang leaders, letting them know that if the gangs didn't lay the hammer down on their members killing others, the Police Department would crack down on the entire gang?

Well, the Police Department is following through on Weis's ultimatum. Sharod Pierce, a 23-year-old alleged gang banger, was arrested in connection to the late August murder of 18-year-old Anthony Carter. Over the following six weeks, Pierce was in custody and Harrison District police opened up investigations into his gang's operations.

The strategy has proven effective in other cities like Boston, Indianapolis and Cincinnati. the ACLU says it's legal because the strategy targets a gangs operations, not their personal freedoms. And, since most gang murders are the result of personal disputes, not gang business, the harder the police lean on the gang, the faster the gang leans on its loose cannons.

So far the new strategy is only being practiced in the Harrison District on the West side, but if it proves successful could (and should) extend to other high crime police districts.