Pubdate: Sun, 05 Feb 2006
Source: Toronto Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2006, Canoe Limited Partnership.
Contact:  http://torontosun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/457
Author: Tom Godfrey, Toronto Sun		
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy)

THE PEEL SOLUTION

Zero Tolerance For Gangs And Cutting-Edge Methods

Toyan Adrian "Twing" Johnson is the poster child of the Peel police gang unit.

The suspected Crips street-gang member has managed to elude capture 
since a brutal, execution-style slaying on Christmas Eve.

But his time on the run could be short-lived now that he's on the 
radar screen of Det. Tony Melaragni and Const. Dirk Niles.

Melaragni and Niles form the backbone of the gang squad, whose 
officers have been tracking Johnson and hundreds of others.

They have identified 860 gang members and 430 associates who belong 
to more than 80 gangs plaguing the region.

Many of the gangs are small; membership ranges from 12 to more than 
80. The Bloods, Crips and some West Indian and South Asian gangs are 
among the 12 to 15 larger groups committing most of the crime in the 
region, police say.

"Crips outnumber Bloods three to one in Peel," Niles says. "There are 
no top bosses and the gangs are very loose."

Some 450 mugshots of the "most prolific" members -- along with their 
gangs, street names, convictions, identifying features and other 
information -- are displayed on posters that are circulated to police 
stations for use by front-line officers.

"These are our most prolific hard-core gang members," Melaragni says 
of the photos. "The number rises every year."

The poster couldn't be reproduced by the Sun because it contained 
confidential police information. Similarly, Melaragni and Niles, 
Superior Court-recognized experts on the Blood and Crips, couldn't be 
photographed because of the sensitivity of their work.

The poster names malls, stores and restaurants where gangs 
congregate. It shows the latest gang tattoos and hand signs, and 
reminds cops that red bandanas and five-point crown tattoos are worn 
by the Bloods, while blue bandanas and three-point crowns ID Crips. A 
tattoo with a gun can signify a revenge killing.

"All our front-line cops are trained and educated in gang members," 
Melaragni says. "They receive ongoing training."

As a result, officers are never far away from a list of a top 25 of 
the worst gangsters who require urgent investigation.

Peel cops go after the thugs by having them designated as "gang 
members," so they'll face stiffer sentences in court. The suspects 
and their affiliations are filed in a police database for all cops to see.

"We have to continue to maintain our vigilance," Melaragni says. "The 
gang problem is growing at an alarming rate."

Last year, there were nine homicides in Peel, of which three were gang-related.

Newly appointed Police Chief Michael Metcalf has a message for gang 
members: Stay out of Peel.

"We have zero tolerance in Peel for gangs," Metcalf stresses. "We are 
tackling the gang problem before it gets worse."

One of his first tasks after being named to the top job last month 
was to add more cops and resources to the gang unit.

Crown attorney Mark Saltmarsh and a team of specialized lawyers 
handle gun and gang cases along with the presentation of evidence at 
bail hearings, resulting in 90% of gang members being detained, the chief says.

"We are concerned about the safety of our community," Metcalf says, 
adding three years ago there were 36 gangs in Peel, compared to more 
than 80 now. "I think our force is on the cutting edge of anti-gang activity."

The unit last year seized 23 weapons, laid 161 charges and issued 17 
wanted posters. They also removed from the streets 2.5 kilos of crack 
cocaine, worth $500,000, 600 pounds of marijuana, worth $1.5 million, 
and 1,600 Ecstasy pills, worth $45,000.

"Twing" Johnson is a marked man. Cops say either they will capture 
him and throw him in jail or a rival's bullet will lay him in a grave.

Johnson, 21, of Brampton is on a most-wanted list of criminals who 
have been keeping one step ahead of cops in Niagara and Peel.

He is sought on a first-degree murder warrant for the slaying of 
Shelston Antonio Broome, 29, last Christmas Eve in St. Catharines.

"It was a brutal crime," says Niagara Regional Police Insp. Brian 
Eckhardt, who's spearheading the manhunt. "The victim was shot 
execution-style."

Police say residents of the home were pistol-whipped by gunmen who 
took Broome into another room, where they counted down before killing 
him on the floor.

"This man is armed and very dangerous," warns Eckhardt. "This is one 
person we would like to take off the streets."

Police believe Johnson is being hidden by colleagues in the Toronto 
area. Four suspects have been arrested in connection with the murder.

Police credit a home-visit program for helping to keep gang members 
and troubled teens off the streets and out of trouble.

For the past five years, the force has been conducting compliance 
checks on gang members and associates released from prison to ensure 
they're abiding by the terms of their release.

"We attend their address and determine if they're abiding by their 
conditions," says Melaragni. "On any given week we can conduct a 
number of home visits."

The program now includes an intervention and mentoring program for 
at-risk youth, he says.

During a home visit, officers check to determine if a parolee is 
living at a court-approved address, abiding by curfew or not drinking 
alcohol or possessing guns as imposed. The process also gives 
officers a chance to update their files.

And for added scrutiny, Niles says family members and mothers of 
children of parolees are also notified of releases. "We let the 
family know what is going on," he says. "We let them know we are out 
there and available."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom