GANGS ARE OFF THE NATIONAL RADAR

The discussion of gangs and the resulting violence and expense to taxpayers is an old story as far as your Commander is concerned. I have been talking about the fact that the impact of gangs has fallen off the radar screen in our national discussion. Please take a few minutes and read the article from USA Today.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-11-01-gangviolence01_ST_N.htm

With gang ranks swelling by 25%, when will the Justice Department and local authorities take this cancerous issue seriously? When statistics prove that long-term confinement of gang leaders leads to disruption of the organizations one must wonder why there is not a movement to increase the guide lines for confinement.

One wonders if there is a cozy relationship festering between the gang leadership and local politicians. Obviously there, too, is an interlocking problem with illegal immigrants and gang membership that should be solvable by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). But as we know the federal government is not enforcing existing laws or working to prevent a negative reaction from the Latino community. Deportation would immediately reduce the impact of gangs across the country saving millions of vital tax dollars, but why is it not a top priority?

How can we expect to solve gang problems without securing our borders? When one considers the huge expense that is brought upon local governments and federal taxpayers, why is the gang problem not a top priority to be eradicated at the earliest possible date? These questions should be addressed to our elected officials, and we should demand action at the earliest possible date. Are you willing to start asking these hard questions of both your Senators and Representative in Congress?

Solve the huge gang problem, and we save billions of precious taxpayer dollars.

COMMANDER GRANGER