Symposium addresses growth of valley gangs

Jen Lawson

Tuesday, June 21, 2005 | 11:01 a.m.

Sixteen gang-related shootings have occurred in Las Vegas in the past 10 or 11 days, a Metro Police lieutenant told a gathering of social service officials Monday, using the numbers to demonstrate that Southern Nevada does have a gang problem.

"And that's just in Metro's jurisdiction," Lt. Lew Roberts of the Metro Police gang crimes section said. "We're talking about shootings where the victim didn't die."

"Before you can address the problem, you have to admit you have a problem."

The goal of the first Southern Nevada Community Gang Task Force symposium, held Monday and today at the Andre Agassi Preparatory Academy, was sharing ideas on intervention and preventing gang violence.

Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County is home to 395 known gangs and 5,905 documented gang members, authorities say. North Las Vegas has about 100 different gangs and 1,500 members, while Henderson has six gangs and 480 members, according to police.

But, North Las Vegas Police Lt. Mike Kincaid said, because gang members cross police jurisdictional lines, about 80 percent of the gang members are included in more than one police departments' numbers.

In the next few months a law enforcement database that will allow local police departments share information on gang members -- aliases, tattoos and vehicles, for example -- is to be up and running.

A trend that began emerging several years ago is rival gang members linking up to form the more violent hybrid gangs. This may happen after a rift occurs in the gang, and members leave to start their own gang, Metro Gang Crimes Detective Tony Morales said.

"They're younger, they're establishing themselves, and they're sending a message that this is who they are," Morales said.

One idea floated at the symposium was asking local gaming corporations to donate money to help fund various gang prevention programs, which are struggling to meet the needs of the community while trying to garner grant funding.

Kincaid said getting the private sector to donate funding would be a great help.

"Andre Agassi gave back to his community," he said. "The casinos will give back to their community. They just have to be asked ... If we work together we can fix the problem, but it will take time and it will take one person at a time."