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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/17/2007 B A K E R S F I E L D ~) JG~ ~- Staff: John W. tinson Assistant City Manager City Council members: Irma Carson, Chair Zack Scrivner Jacquie Sullivan REGULAR MEETING OF THE SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE and Community Advisory Committee of the City Council -City of Bakersfield Thursday, May 17, 2007 11:45 a.m. City Manager's Conference Room 1501 Truxtun Avenue Bakersfield, CA 93301 AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT Meeting called to order at 11:52:27 AM 1. ROLL CALL Present: Council member Irma Carson; Chair Council member Zack Scrivner Council member Jacquie Sullivan Advisory members present: Steven Perryman, BHS Devon Johnson, OGPC Stephanie Campbell, Cornerstone Group Ann Batchelder, Employers Training Resource Staff present: Assistant City Manager John W. Stinson Management Assistant Rick Kirkwood City Attorney Virginia Gennaro Assistant City Attorney Janice Scanlan Associate Attorney Andrew Whang Lt. Lyle Martin Lt. Greg Williamson Others present: Susan Lerude, Kern County Probation Karen Goh, Garden Pathways, Inc. Manuel Carrizalez, Stay Focused Ministries Rich Ross, AYB Basketball Various members of the media S:1Council Committees\2007\07 Safe NeighborhoodslMay 17\May 17 Minutes - admin.doc Page 1 2. ADOPTION OF APRIL 19, 2007 MINUTES Adopted as submitted 3. PUBLIC STATEMENTS None 4. DEFERRED BUSINESS A. Update regarding Gang and Graffiti Enforcement -Rector Lt. Lyle Martin, who is in charge of the Special Enforcement Unit, gave the update. Gangs: To date, there have been 390 felony arrests and 62 firearms were seized. A noticeable trend is that gang members are spreading throughout town as opposed to congregating in large groups. The gang activity hotline has been extremely successful. There has been a significant increase in the number of witness intimidation cases. Graffiti: -There have been 57 arrests to date. Staff has noticed a decrease in the amount of graffiti produced by a typical tagger; however, the amount of gang graffiti has stayed constant. The graffiti hotline has been very successful. Lt. Martin commended the graffiti staff for their good job. Advisory member Perryman asked that an officer visit the Bakersfield High School campus twice a month to meet with staff beginning with the new school year. Lt. Martin agreed and stated further that the officer could also provide training and presentations. Lt. Williamson gave an update on the Park Patrol. Six people have been training and deployed. The patrol schedule is Friday evening, Saturday afternoon and evening, and Sunday afternoon until dusk. One unit patrols west of Highway 99, and one patrols east of Highway 99. He will provide more information at the end of the summer. B. Update regarding Gang Injunctions -Gennaro According to City Attorney Gennaro, discussions are being held with the Police Chief on how best to utilize community prosecutors. In the past, the prosecutors have utilized Code Enforcement tools to close down gang houses. In response to a question from Committee member Sullivan, Ms. Gennaro explained how gang injunctions work. If there is a certain gang that congregates in a particular area, the law allows a City or District Attorney to declare that the congregation is a nuisance to the community and neighborhood, destroying the peace and quiet and enjoyment of the individuals who live there. If the Court agrees, and the gang is then seen in that same area, they can be cited. Lt. Martin commented that the Police Department is starting to see gangs spreading out throughout the City. The Police Department will have to take a close look at the effectiveness of gang injunctions since the gang members may be moving to various areas of the City. S:\Council Committees\2007\07 Safe Neighborhoods\May 17\May 17 ASR.doc Page 2 In response to a question from Committee member Scrivner, Ms. Gennaro acknowledged that violators could be fined for the responding officer's time. 5. NEW BUSINESS A. Discussion regarding AB 802 (Salas)~ Establish the California Commission on Ganq Prevention and Intervention -Gennaro City Attorney Gennaro briefed the Committee on the particulars of the Bill. She suggested forwarding the matter to the full Council and recommending support by way of Resolution. Adopted by unanimous vote. Assistant City Manager Stinson reported that the Governor's revised budget contains $4.9 million in federal funds to establish four new anti-gang grants, $446,000 fora State anti-gang coordinator position, and $7 million Statewide for local anti-gang programs. No further details are available at this time. 6. COMMITTEE COMMENTS Advisory member Johnson provided an update on the basketball program. He introduced Richard Ross, who is helping with the tournament. Mr. Johnson expressed appreciation for all of the support he has been given. Committee member Scrivner reiterated his desire to list the gang hotline in the brochure. He also suggested that each of the Committee members provide a sponsorship. Manuel Carrisalez of the Stay Focused Ministries spoke about an event at West High School. Susan Larude with Kern County Probation spoke about a meeting at 9:00 a.m. on May 19, 2007 at the People's Missionary Baptist Church that will focus on early intervention. Lt. Williamson stated that members of the Junior Police Team from PAL and regular Police Department staff members will be attending. Karen Goh with Garden Pathways said they are continuing to explore mentoring possibilities with the Probation Department as part of the early intervention effort. 7. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 12:21:47 PM S:\Council Committees\2007\07 Safe Neighborhoods\May 17\May 17 ASR.doc Page 3