3 In 10 Homicides Here Said To Be Gang Related There are an estimated 1 million street gang members in the United States and in some communities they commit up to 80 percent of crimes, according to a report by the U.S. Justice Department's National Gang Intelligence Center released in January. The study warns that gang activity and gang membership are on the rise nationwide. But that does not appear to be the case here, said Lt. JT Turner, commander of the Tucson Police Department's Gang Interdiction Section. [continues 1080 words]
Two Tucson neighborhoods whose kids get caught in the juvenile justice system at a disproportionate rate are the focus of an effort by court officials to reverse the trend. The "A" Mountain and Sunnyside neighborhoods have the highest number of youths referred to Pima County Juvenile Court and a higher number of Hispanics, Indians and blacks in the county's juvenile system than other Tucson-area neighborhoods, Presiding Juvenile Court Judge Patricia Escher said. "It's a little unnerving," she said. "We don't have all the alternatives in place in the community. That's what we're working on now." [continues 430 words]
