Editorial: More gangs, less funding

Monday, June 27, 2005 | 8:34 a.m.

Area social service officials gathered last week at the Andre Agassi Preparatory Academy to learn more about gangs from Metro Police. Lt. Lew Roberts said there had been 16 gang-related shootings in just the past several days within Metro's jurisdiction. No one had been killed in those shootings, but he used the number to illustrate how gangs contribute to street violence in Las Vegas.

Other numbers were also used by police to illustrate the problem. For example, in Las Vegas and in unincorporated Clark County, there are 395 known gangs and 5,905 documented gang members. North Las Vegas has about 100 gangs and about 1,500 members. Henderson's six gangs have nearly 500 members.

As gangs are notorious for their shooting wars and killings of innocent adults and children who get caught in the crossfire, such numbers are concerning. The numbers are high in all big cities, a fact that has Congress considering a bill that would make gang attacks federal offenses with tough, mandatory penalties. At the same time, a special Justice Department fund that provides states with extra money to fight gangs is dwindling.

The fund provided Nevada with $4.3 million in fiscal-year 2003. For the fiscal year beginning July 1, just $1.5 million will be available. The fund is among many federal programs losing money to the Homeland Security budget.

Clark County uses its share of the money for a range of training purposes, to buy special equipment for Metro Police and to pay the salary of a special gang-crimes prosecutor. As federal funds for vital local programs are drained to shore up higher-priority national needs, it will be up to states and localities to keep the programs going.