Two anti-gang bills pushed by police

Kiley Russell

Tuesday, March 16, 1999 | 10:38 a.m.

CARSON CITY - Lawmakers raised questions Monday about a bill that would expand police wiretap powers in efforts to crack down on gangs.

When investigating crimes including murder, kidnapping, robbery, extortion, bribery, bombings and child molestation, police can ask for wiretap authority. SB120 would add attempted murder, battery with a deadly weapon and drive-by shootings to the list.

There would still be strict standards for police in seeking a wiretap and for prosecutors in trying to get the results admitted as court evidence, Ben Graham of the Nevada District Attorneys Association told the Assembly Judiciary Committee.

But Assembly Judiciary member John Carpenter, R-Elko, said he's concerned about the bill's impact on privacy rights.

"I think we're really opening it up this time, especially with including battery with use of a deadly weapon," said Carpenter. "That's going to include knives, fists and everything else."

"I'm certainly in favor of providing our police with the necessary tools to protect the people ... but this does concern me," said Assemblywoman Ellen Koivisto, D-Las Vegas.

Koivisto also wanted to know how many additional wiretaps might result if the bill was passed. Stan Olsen of the Las Vegas Metro Police Department said he couldn't guess at that - "but I can tell you we've had 67 drive-bys in this calendar year."

"We know we have over 6,000 gang members in and around Las Vegas and more than 2,000 associates, or wannabes," Olsen said after the hearing.

While Judiciary members took no action on SB120, the panel voted for an amended version of another anti-gang bill sought by Metro police.

AB229 gives judges authority to order children who have committed their first non-violent crime into so-called "cognitive training" courses. Children would be placed in these classes as an alternative to juvenile lockup.

"This is a program to divert children involved in gang activities and to increase the skills they have or to develop the skills they don't have to get along in society," Olsen said.

The bill says the classes should teach juvenile offenders about "habits, attitudes and conditioning; self-conditioning processes; developing a successful way of life; the process of solving problems; emotions and emotional blocks; assurances and demonstrative maturity; family success; family relationships; interfamilial understanding and communications; financial stability; effective communications; and obtaining and retaining employment."

Olsen said AB229 was modeled after similar programs for adult criminals that include all those components and that reduced recidivism 65 percent for non-violent, first-time offenders.

Originally the bill mandated that any program used by the courts would have to include all the listed elements, but Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, pushed for an amendment to ensure that it wouldn't unnecessarily restrict judges' authority.