PHOENIX - Two weeks after GOP leaders convened a law enforcement summit on gangs in Arizona, Republicans and Democrats are haggling over how to combat the problem.
Republicans this week announced legislation calling for tougher penalties and more money for law enforcement. Democrats, who haven't introduced legislation on the issue, countered that they want funding for programs that reach out to kids before they become gang members.
Figuring out how to deal with gangs isn't about politics but the safety of Arizona citizens, said Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa.
"This is about violent criminals who are running rampant in our communities and maiming our citizens," said Pearce, who served as a Maricopa County's sheriff's deputy for more than 20 years. "The Democrats want to put money into feel-good legislation while we're going after the gangs."
Pearce has introduced legislation that would impose stricter penalties on gang members who commit crimes and intimidate witnesses. He also said he wants to give more than $3 million to the Gang & Immigration Intelligence Team Enforcement Mission, or GIITEM, a Department of Public Safety program with squads in nine counties statewide.
The biggest difference between the Republicans' and Democrats' approaches is that the Democrats' includes prevention, said Rep. David Lujan, D-Phoenix.
"It doesn't make sense to have a program that addresses gang activity without focusing on preventing kids from joining gangs in the first place," Lujan said. "The Democrats' proposal would focus on kids in grades four through nine because that is the age group that law enforcement tells us is most vulnerable to joining gangs."
Arizona has nearly 2,500 criminal street gangs and 20,000 documented gang members, according to Dan Wells, commander of the Gang Enforcement Bureau for DPS.
Kids turn to gangs as a means of support, said Sgt. Raymond Eads, who heads Mohave County's GIITEM squad.
"A lot of gangsters we run into don't have life skills training, a caring family or a support system," Eads said. "The earlier we can get in touch with kids and get them to relate to something other than gangs, the better."
Pearce's bill, SB 1222, would also create a monitoring system to track the movements of gang members throughout Arizona and into other states.
Under the current tracking system, a gang member's information is erased from the database after five years if the person has not had on-the-street contact with law enforcement, Eads said.
Reach the reporter at: leah.duran@asu.edu.
