Conceived in December, a regional task force dedicated to keeping juveniles out of crime is now “going public,” as it stretches its wings and gets ready to leave the nest.
The South Valley Youth Task Force is comprised of various agencies all over the county, including the police departments and school districts from Morgan Hill and Gilroy, the Sheriff’s Department, Council members and staff from each city, Santa Clara County Judge Beth Gowen, and Steve Lowney, deputy district attorney.
With 538 juvenile arrests and citations in 2011, Gilroy ranks No. 3 for the most juvenile crime incidents in the county, outdone only by San Jose and Sunnyvale, according to data from the Gilroy Police Department. So late last year, Gilroy leaders decided it was time to take action. Morgan Hill ranks No. 6 in the county with 272 juvenile arrests and citations in 2011.
After several talks, the Gilroy City Council and the GPD realized that juvenile crime and gang membership is an issue best handled at the regional level, so they invited Morgan Hill to the table as well.
“I think we recognized the issues that give rise to membership in gangs are not necessarily related to city boundaries, so this is something that cried out for a regional strategy,” said Tom Haglund, Gilroy’s city administrator.
The purpose of the task force is for agencies to share resources and ideas on how to best handle at-risk and criminal youth, both for intervention and prevention. After several months of goal setting and idea swapping, the task force is turning its ear to the residents of Gilroy, San Martin and Morgan Hill to hear about the issues that people care most about, said Denise Turner, Gilroy’s police chief.
The first of these meetings was held Sept. 13 at Glenview Elementary School, where a group of more than 100 parents and community members gathered to express their concerns about the safety of their children and their neighborhoods.
The task force has turned the head of District Attorney Jeff Rosen, who attended a policy meeting several weeks ago to show support for the burgeoning group.
“I think these kinds of efforts will keep some kids out of the criminal justice system permanently, or at least for a significant period of time. Sometimes there is a stage where juveniles are most susceptible, and programs like these can be the bridge,” Rosen said.
The task force, which obtained a $250,000 grant from the state to get going, has also obtained about $25,000 from the following participating agencies: The City of Gilroy, the City of Morgan Hill, GUSD, MHUSD, Gilroy’s Gang Task Force and Santa Clara County.
In the future, the task force will increase recreation services that target at-risk youth and open up communication lines between public school teachers, law enforcement and court prosecutors about specific troubled teens.
The next community meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Sept. 27 at South Valley Middle School, 385 IOOF Ave.
The next community meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Sept. 27 at South Valley Middle School, 385 IOOF Ave.
