LV gang numbers swell to 10,000

Friday, Nov. 5, 1999 | 11:09 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- There are 201 gangs in the Las Vegas area with membership reaching nearly 10,000, a new Metro Police report says.

Submitted Thursday to the legislative subcommittee studying the system of juvenile justice in Nevada, the report says the gangs range in size from five members to more than 900.

"It's a growing problem," said Metro Lt. Stan Olsen. "Kids are getting away with everything."

Gangs are not limited to any stereotype, the reports says, with white gangs, black gangs, Hispanic gangs and female gangs among those that are out there on the streets. "And some gang members come from expensive homes," Olsen said. "I'm talking about the $1 million-plus home."

Different types of gangs "tend to gravitate to certain types of crimes," said Olsen. The "biker" gangs are into methamphetamines, the blacks into crack cocaine and the Hispanics and whites into heroin, he said. And they all commit street crimes such as robbery to finance their drug trade.

Kirby Burgess, director of Clark County Family and Youth Services, said housing gang members presents particular problems. His 112-bed detention center is always overcrowded. For instance, the count Wednesday was 190 youths.

These gang members have to be housed separately to prevent fights with other gangs. And Burgess said they have to be separated according to the seriousness of the offense and age.

In contrast to the 201 gangs with a membership of 9,862 in the Las Vegas area, Boulder City police did not report any gangs nor did Humboldt, Nye and White Pine counties. Washoe County (Reno area) authorities reported about 100 gangs with an estimated 1,400 members. The Carson City Sheriff's Office said there were 12 gangs with about 325 members.

The Metro report was the most extensive, showing the gang names, sizes, ages and race. It said gang members include 512 Asians, 3,372 Hispanics, 4,444 blacks, 17 Indians and 1,506 whites.

The breakdown showed the highest number of gang members -- 3,180 -- in the 18-21 age group followed by 3,084 in the 25-year-old category and 2,591 between 22-24. The report said there were five gang members under age 13, 223 members 13-15 and 779 members 16-17.

The legislative subcommittee, headed by Sen. Valerie Wiener, D-Las Vegas, received a briefing on the recommendations of a prior study and what has been accomplished in the field of juvenile justice.

Leonard Pugh, director of the Washoe County Department of Juvenile Services, said the counties and the state are working together now as opposed to the bifurcated system of two years ago. And many counties have started systems of intermediate punishment for juveniles.

Burgess said despite the overcrowding at the detention center, dangerous juveniles are not released into the community, adding that special programs are in place and being developed for rehabilitating gang members.

The detention center will be expanded to 235 beds this coming summer, he said. But that isn't the panacea for handling juvenile crime. He said there must be creative solutions and alternate programs.