AG says gang problem is statewide

YAKIMA, Wash. -- Yakima is not alone in its gang woes.

That was Attorney General Rob McKenna's first message.

"There is not a corner of this state that is not affected," he said, naming Spokane, Tacoma and Seattle in his opening remarks during a Greater Yakima Chamber of Commerce luncheon Wednesday.

As Yakima's leaders look for ways to open dialogue and find solutions to gang violence, McKenna came at an opportune moment to deliver his thoughts on the state's responsibility to address the issue.

Washington's top law enforcement official said he wants stiffer penalties for juveniles who commit gang crimes and a statewide anti-gang civil injunction.

While acknowledging the importance of law enforcement, McKenna also stressed the importance of funding more intervention and prevention programs to dissuade children from joining gangs.

"Let's start by cutting off the supply" of new recruits, he said. "You want to attack from the top and the bottom."

Communities can win the "battle for the hearts and minds of young people" through programs such as the Boys & Girls Club that offer an alternative to gangs, McKenna added.

"We are not going to arrest ourselves out of this problem," he said, calling prevention and intervention the "better keys" to solving the problems.

McKenna's response to a question about parental accountability -- "Parents need to act like parents" -- energized the audience. Law enforcement officials have recently talked about the need to reach Spanish-speaking parents who might be reluctant to approach government agencies for help.

Later, the attorney general said he doesn't have an answer.

"Parents who do a good job are frustrated with parents who they believe aren't," McKenna said in an interview. "When you look at parents who are working two or three jobs to make ends meet ... how do you reach them?"

On the topic of anti-gang civil injunctions, Yakima County Prosecutor Jim Hagarty said his office had already been researching how they worked in California. Such an injunction would give law enforcement officials the ability to detain known gang members who participate in specific activities, such as wearing certain colors or who associate with each other.

As long as his office gets the support of cities and legislators, McKenna said he'd draft the legislation and lobby for its passage next year.

"If it's tested and found to be constitutional, it saves us the work of having staff or hiring independent counsel to fight a challenge," Hagarty said. "I'd love to see them do it ... They have the money and it's expensive to take on a constitutional challenge."

City leaders in attendance also seemed receptive to McKenna's remarks about tougher law enforcement.

"I don't think it makes a lot of sense to be really easy on juveniles for having guns one, two three times, and when something really tragic happens you treat them like an adult and put them away for the rest of their lives," said Councilwoman Sonia Rodriguez.

"What we want to do is prevent that tragedy from happening. Send a message that we're not going to tolerate it."

* Melissa Sánchez can be reached at 509-577-7675 or msanchez@yakimaherald.com.