 |
Mountain View Police Department
1000 Villa Street
Mountain View, CA 94041
650/903-6344
Directions & Map
Hours
General Business:
8 a.m. - 5 p.m. (Mon.-Fri.)
Walk-in Crime Reports:
7 a.m. - 7 p.m. (7 days)
|
| |
| |
There is a small part of our community that is responsible for many of our crimes - Gangs. Gangs are directly, or indirectly, responsible for a substantial percentage of violent and property crimes. Gangs threaten the well being of our children. It's a good idea for Mountain View residents, especially parents, to be alert to possible gang activities in their neighborhoods.
In gangs of all origins, members often work in the drug industry—dealing, manufacturing and transporting. Gang members often commit vehicle thefts, auto and residential burglaries, and other property crimes. People involved with gangs are likely to carry weapons (mostly knives, some firearms) and should be considered extremely dangerous.
Gang activities have evolved over the past 10 years. Today, gangs may affiliate with other gangs or have national or even international memberships. Imprisoned gang leaders may direct activities the way a CEO runs a major company. Gang leaders may obtain higher education or develop technical expertise to enhance their 'business' skills. They may use the Internet or the music industry to promote their gang. They may study law enforcement practices and develop military-like countermeasures to avoid detection and prosecution. Former gang members in prestigious non-criminal careers may provide financial or advisory support to current gang members.
Why Do Children Join Gangs?
Like everyone, kids want to belong to a group to experience camaraderie and support. For some children, this means chess club or a basketball team. For more vulnerable or troubled kids, many of whom feel unconnected to their families, communities and school life, the groups they seek out are less wholesome. Gangs offer excitement, purpose, status, protection, acceptance, approval, money, belonging, love and respect. If kids aren't getting these elsewhere, gang life can be highly appealing. Poor self-esteem or personal problems in the home may add to his/her distress. The child may turn to a street gang for acceptance and recognition from others.
Active gang members tend to be in their teenage years or older. However, grade-school children, who love to emulate older kids, have been seen flashing gang signs. Parents should intervene at any age a child shows an interest in gangs or gang activities.
Risk Factors for Joining Gangs- Poverty
- Family instability
- Loss of key family members through divorce, separation, abandonment, death
- Poor relationships with family and community members
- Violent and/or anti-social family members
- Limited adult supervision
- Emotional troubles, such as depression, anxiety or aggression
- Rule breaking behavior
- Drug or alcohol use
- Victims or witnesses of violence or trauma
- Low self esteem
- Poor school performance
- Living in an unsafe neighborhood or situation
If your child is experiencing more than a few of these conditions, you may want to arrange for some form of counseling to help him/her stay out of trouble. Even for poor families, counseling is affordable through community organizations.
MVPD programs Dreams & Futures and other programs for kids are designed for kids at risk of joining gangs or abusing drugs. Anything we can do to help kids grow in a more positive direction will bring great dividends to the community.
Girls in Gangs
Don't assume your daughter is safe because she's a girl. Female members of mixed gangs, or associates of male gangs, may be used for sex or to carry drugs or weapons. Sometimes girls form their own gangs and compete in criminal enterprises.
We don't think of girls as being vulnerable to gangs, but they feel many of the same pressures the boys do. It can be confusing to try to be feminine when you also feel the need to be tough to survive.
MVPD's Gang Prevention Program
Recognizing the need to protect our community from gangs and gang-related crimes, MVPD created a Gang Suppression Team (GST). While all officers receive gang training, the GST has officers with extensive knowledge of gangs, gained from law enforcement experience, professional training and information exchange with other law enforcement agencies. GST officers work in both patrol and investigations. A dedicated gang officer is responsible for developing strategies to eliminate gangs in Mountain View.
GST employs three strategies to reduce gangs—suppression, intervention and prevention.
Suppression refers to the police department's zero-tolerance policy for criminal gangs. Both GST and regular officers work to identify local gang members, develop intelligence about the gangs, and arrest those who commit crimes. Thorough investigation of gang cases allows us to charge gang suspects with California's "gang enhancement" penalty, which can add 10 additional years to a gang member's sentence.
Intervention means taking steps to prevent kids from joining gangs. For example, MVPD's School Resource Officers identify kids who are at risk of joining gangs and try to recruit them into police programs designed to point kids in a more positive direction. Dreams & Futures is our award-winning summer program for at-risk kids. Read about our other programs for children.
GST members also make home visits to families of at-risk kids. These visits provide police an opportunity to learn more about the conditions that encourage kids to join gangs, and a chance to provide referrals to community resources.
Prevention is the third prong of our gang strategy. We sponsor public seminars and go to Neighborhood Watch meetings to promote gang awareness. We help residents and parents identify gang activity and encourage them to report it to the schools and/or the police department. | | Gang Indicators
Is my child involved in a gang?- Friends who are gang members
- Admires family members who are/were in gangs
- Tattoos
- Marks drawn on hands
- Gun ownership
- Knife carrying
- Hand signals
- Wearing a specific color
- Avoiding a specific color
- Clothing with symbols, i.e. modified sports team logos or athletic-wear logos
- Going out of the way to avoid certain neighborhoods/people
- Initiations
- Injuries from fights
- Unexplained income
- Need to act tough
- Slang
- Nicknames
- Gang- or violence-related music
Primary Gangs in Mountain View
Norteños (red color), #14
Sureños (blue color), #13
Common criminal activities:- Drug offenses
- Battery
- Assault with a deadly weapon
Gang Enhancement Penalty
California law now includes a "gang enhancement" penalty: up to 10 more years of prison time for gang-related crimes.
Questions?
School Resource Officer
Ron Cooper
650/903-6387
More Police Contacts |
| | | |
|
|
| |
|
|
Do I need to prevent my children from wearing red or blue clothing?
Gangs often affiliate with particular colors, numbers or symbols. Most common in Mountain View are gangs identified by red and blue colors. Only you, as parents or guardians, can decide whether or not your children should avoid these colors.
| |
|
|
Is it illegal to be in a gang? Gangs are just clubs, aren't they?
Per the California Penal Code, Section 186.22, it is a crime to knowingly promote or assist in the criminal conduct of a criminal street gang. If a group is not fostering criminal activity, membership or support is not a crime.
| |
|
|
My child is interested in gangs, but s/he seems to be just playing at it, not a real gang member. Should I be concerned?
Yes. 'Wannabees' can be very dangerous because of a desire to prove themselves or earn membership. Also rival gangs may perceive no difference between a 'wannabee' and a real member, which means they may target your child for violence. If your child is attracted to gang life, you may wish to consider counseling.
| |
|
|
My child is involved in a non-violent gang. Should I be concerned?
Probably. Gang culture can be dangerous. Status is important to gang members, and generally the greater the crimes committed by the gang members, the greater the status. "To fear me is to respect me." Association with street gangs may lead to violence and crime.
|
|
|
| | |
