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Sunday, Jan. 10, 1999

Police vow continued focus on gangs

Arrests of 9 members in 1998 may deter activity

By NOVELDA SOMMERS
Staff Writer

   Police hope the arrests of nine prison gang members in 1998, enhanced enforcement and tough sentencing for gang-related crimes will stop what has been a rising tide of prison gang activity in the Corpus Christi area.
   "I think you're going to see a lot of activity, but a move away from our city," said Corpus Christi Police Capt. Ken Starrs.
   Gang homicides have shifted in the past two years from street gang-related crimes to executions carried out by more organized, violent prison gangs, police say.
   Police and sheriff's officers arrested nine gang members in 1998 in connection with three gang-related killings. In 1997, five of the city's 20 homicides were linked to prison gangs, police said.
   Tomas Grady Torres received two life sentences last month for murder and engaging in organized criminal activity in the slaying of a fellow gang member, Armando "Mandy" Munoz, for disobeying gang orders.
   Cases are pending against Jesse Casso Jr. and Leandro Estrada in Munoz's death, and Casso has been indicted in the death of another gang member, Luis Manuel Luna.
   Starrs said tough sentencing in the Torres case is a victory for area law enforcement because it sends a message that Corpus Christi will not tolerate gang crimes.
   "If we send them away (to prison) and send a message out, (the gangs) may move to other cities," Starrs said.
   Starrs, who supervises the department's gang unit, said officers also use information about gang members to battle them.
   The Juvenile Enforcement Team, or JET, added 10 officers this year, bringing the team to 24 members. More officers means police can do more to make things difficult for gang members, he said.
   Officers know who gang members are, where they live, where they hang out and what their criminal forte is, Starrs said.
   Team members gather information on the streets, and they rely on help from area constable's deputies, Nueces County Sheriff's officers and gang task forces around the state.
   "We keep concentrating efforts on particular gangs," he said. "We arrest them for everything we can legally arrest them for."
   Gangs move into cities much the way corporations do, he said. Several gangs are headquartered here, and members of other gangs are considering moving here.
   Gang members talk to each other, he said, and it is hoped that they talk about what a bad place Corpus Christi is for gangs.
   Gang officers in Nueces County and across the state hope to get help from the Legislature this year, said Gary Gutierrez, a crime analyst with the Texas Department of Public Safety.
   Officers are pushing for a statewide database to make information about paroled gang members' whereabouts available to officers instantly, he said.
   "Austin has experienced numerous homicides that are gang-related; almost every city has," he said. "A lot can happen in the next legislative session."
   Staff writer Novelda Sommers can be reached at 886-3774 or by e-mail at sommersn@scripps.com
   

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  © 1998 Corpus Christi Caller Times, a Scripps Howard newspaper. All rights reserved.