In response to the two gang-related homicides, a drive by
shooting in downtown Gilroy and a slew of stabbings and shootings
in recent months, the Gilroy Police Department and other local law
enforcement agencies swept South County, from Morgan Hill to the
county line, serving warrants and making sure convicted gang
members were in compliance with the terms of their probation or
parole. The effort, which resulted in 17 arrests, was part of the
ongoing battle to keep Gilroy’s unusually large population of gang
members, parolees and probationers in check.
In response to the two gang-related homicides, a drive by shooting in downtown Gilroy and a slew of stabbings and shootings in recent months, the Gilroy Police Department and other local law enforcement agencies swept South County, from Morgan Hill to the county line, serving warrants and making sure convicted gang members were in compliance with the terms of their probation or parole. The effort, which resulted in 17 arrests, was part of the ongoing battle to keep Gilroy’s unusually large population of gang members, parolees and probationers in check.
“Those folks weren’t in compliance and they need to be held accountable,” Police Chief Denise Turner said of the arrestees. “We have a zero tolerance policy for gang violence.”
Gilroy, a town of about 51,000 people, is home to more than 750 gang members and associates and more than 1,300 people on probation or parole – about 2.5 percent of Gilroy’s population – according to a mid-November presentation Turner gave after Larry Martinez, 18, was gunned down by three men in the middle of the day a block from the police department. By contrast, neighboring Morgan Hill has a population of about 39,000 but is home to half as many convicted criminals.
“There’s a disproportionate number of criminals living in Gilroy,” Turner said in August after the police department reported a 17.5 percent increase in violent crime. “We don’t want to alarm the community. We have put together a crime strategy to go after the people causing the problems.”
In an effort to do just this, a cohort of about 80 officials from the Gilroy and Morgan Hill police departments, California Highway Patrol, Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, United Narcotics Enforcement Team, Regional Auto Theft Task Force, and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation knocked on 87 doors to search homes and serve warrants in one of the largest sweeps in recent years.
“Because we have so many probation and parolees living in Gilroy and we’re worried about gang retaliation, one of the ways to prevent future violence is to make contact, make sure they’re in compliance and they don’t have weapons,” Turner said.
Several teams of about 10 officers scoured each of the residences, looking for violations of probation or parole. As a condition of their release, individuals on probation and parolees must agree to let their homes be searched at any time by law enforcement officers. Violent offenders were handcuffed during the search for the safety of the officers.
“We’re not going to take any chances with officer safety,” Gillio said, as an officer emerged from a home on IOOF Avenue with a semi-automatic rifle slung over his shoulder. “Going into someone’s house is one of the most dangerous things we can do. They know their own territory better than we do.”
If convicted of a gang-related crime, gang members are not allowed to associate with other gang members, according to the terms of their parole or probation, Gillio said. Police made three arrests at once when two parolees and a third man on probation were found at the same home, Gillio said.
Two gang-related homicides remain unsolved and neither of the two guns used in the shootings have been recovered, Gillio said. Police did, however, recover a rifle during the search of a gang-member’s residence but the owner was not home, he said.
Violent crime hit a 10-year low of 182 incidents in 2004 after peaking in 1995 with 454, nearly twice as many as the current count. But the crime rate slowly began creeping upward to reach 229 incidents in mid-November. Compared to last year, gang-related homicide, aggravated assault, robbery and weapons charges are all up.
“This operation is in response to the uptick in gang violence we’ve had,” Gillio said.
Turner said affordable housing and proactive police work contribute to the number of convicted criminals in Gilroy. On average the GPD makes about 10 arrests a day, which increases the number of criminals entered into the system.
Of the 17 arrests made, the majority were for violations of probation or parole, although several were for weapons and drug offenses.
“We really appreciate everyone’s help today,” Gillio said of the participating agencies. “This sweep was really a joint effort.”
“It was a great day in the sense that we all came together around a common issue,” Turner said. “I think it’s important to unite, as gang members unite, and for a strong front against crime. We really do want to prevent violence in our community.”
Gilroy
Population: 51,000
Parolees: 347
Probationers: 761
Juvenile probationers: 200
Morgan Hill
Population: 39,000
Parolees: 197
Probationers: 394
Juvenile probationers: 80
Gilroy gang figures
Sureño and associates: 150
Norteños and associates: 600
Arrested:
Parole violation
Robert McDuff, 26
Robert Torres, 36
Joel Solis, 26
Robert Vaca, 29
Eric Robles, 22
David Pena, 21, for parole violation and $70,000 in warrants
Adrian Esparza, 31, for parole violation and possession of methamphetamine
Gerald Renalds, 30, for parole violation and possession of methamphetamine
Probation violation
Jesse Salinas, 22
16-year-old male
Louie Vallez, 20
Ricardo Esquivel, 24
Other
Gabriel Ruiz, 48, for $325,000 in warrants
Josephine Martinez, 36, for possession of methamphetamine for sale
Andrew Charles, 18, for $10,000 in warrants
Isaiah Gonzalez, 26, for no bail warrants
Jose Pacheco, 19, for altering a firearm serial number
