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Attorney General Brings Gang Reduction Strategy to North Florida

Gang activity in Florida has grown to more than 1,500 active criminal gangs with over 65,000 gang members.

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Attorney General Bill McCollum and members of the Coordinating Council on Gang Reduction Strategies have joined elected and government officials, law enforcement, nonprofit group leaders, school administrators and the business community in Northeast Florida to continue implementing Florida’s first-ever statewide gang reduction strategy. The strategy is being implemented using regional task forces throughout the state, and today’s organizational session in St. Augustine follows last month’s regional task force meetings in Fort Walton Beach and Tallahassee.

“I’m gratified to see the participation of Northeast Florida’s community leaders in our aggressive statewide strategy to rid our neighborhoods of gang violence and related crimes,” said Attorney General McCollum. “Florida’s citizens deserve to live in gang-free neighborhoods, and my office is committed to ensuring the success of this effort in every corner of the state.”

Gang activity in Florida has grown to more than 1,500 active criminal gangs with over 65,000 gang members. These gangs are also the primary sales force for illicit drugs in our state and cause much of the violent crime. The prevalence of gang activity hurts business as well as neighborhoods, as organized retail theft costs the industry $32 billion nationwide every year.

Key to the strategy’s success is a cooperative and collaborative effort that addresses the three goals of stopping the growth of gangs in Florida, reducing the number of gangs and gang members, and rendering the remaining gangs ineffectual. Participants at the Region 1 Gang Reduction Task Force Organizing Session are focusing on the areas of prevention/intervention, law enforcement, and rehabilitation and re-entry. Region 3 encompasses Nassau, Baker, Union, Bradford, Alachua, Putnam, Marion, Clay, Duval, St. Johns, Flagler, Gilchrist, and Levy counties.

“We aren’t just dealing with mere low level ‘wanna-be’ gang members anymore,” said Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler, the chairman of the Region 3 task force. “Many incidents of drug trafficking and violent crime in our region can be traced back to gang members by our investigators.”

An important objective is providing effective intervention programs for young people who are the most likely targets of gang recruitment and identified young gang members. Present at today’s meeting were representatives from local faith-based organizations, Boys and Girls Clubs and other community groups whose core missions are to provide Florida’s youth with a safe and productive alternative to gangs.

The law enforcement community actively participated in today’s initiative to discuss improving data collection and information exchange among state and federal authorities on gangs and gang members and their activities. This component will also focus on coordinating law enforcement and prosecution efforts by setting priorities and targeting the most problematic and dangerous gangs, gang activities and gang-related prosecutions all over Florida. Representatives from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, sheriffs’ offices, police departments, members of the Florida Highway Patrol and others were on hand to provide insight and begin planning how to meet their objectives.

The strategy also emphasizes the importance of working to provide gang members currently incarcerated with job training and other essential rehabilitation skills. One of the rehabilitation and re-entry objectives is to expand programs designed to help incarcerated gang members prepare for re-entry into society upon completion of their sentences. Re-entry objectives include counseling and mentoring these former gang members so they will turn toward becoming productive members of society when released. The Department of Juvenile Justice, the Department of Corrections, and other parties involved in this particular aspect of the strategy were all present today.

More information about the gang reduction strategy and a list of Coordinating Council members is available online at: http://www.safeflorida.net/safestreets. The next organizational session will be held in South Florida next month.

Ontario board approves gang mandate reading

Ontario — The Ontario City Council nominated a new council president, appointed new members to several committees and approved the first reading of an anti-gang zone ordinance at its meeting Monday night.

In the first order of new business, Ontario Mayor Joe Dominick informed those in attendance about the need for a new council president. Because Ontario City Councilman Dan Cummings no longer serves on the board, the council president position, which allows a councilmember to serve as leader of the elected board in the mayor’s absence, was vacant.

Two council members— John Gaskill and Susann Mills— expressed interest in the position at the council work session Thursday afternoon. Mills was nominated to the council president slot after Ontario City Recorder Tori Barnett counted the votes from the council.

Ontario Mayor Joe Dominick, Mills, Ontario City Councilman  Norm Crume and Ontario City Councilmember David Sullivan voted for Mills. Ontario City Councilman Ron Verini and Ontario City Council member Charlotte Fugate cast their votes for Gaskill.

The elected board was similarly divided regarding final decisions on the budget committee appointments.

Though the board only had three vacancies, each of which would last for three years when filled, seven residents requested a seat on the committee.

Area residents Ralph Poole and Bob Quinn requested reappointment, with Mike Drummond, Bruce Tuttle, Dan Jones, Bill Blankinship and Doug Williams seeking appointment to the committee.

Dominick expressed support for Drummond, Jones and Williams, asserting they are all local business owners in the community and would bring new ideas to the budget.

Fugate said while she knew Tuttle, Poole and Quinn, she was not aware of the three individuals supported by Dominick.

Dominick said Drummond owns Big O Tires, with Jones owning a local Chevron gas station and Williams owning a chiropractic office.

Crume expressed support for Dominick’s choice. However, Verini sided with Fugate, asserting it would be better to keep current members on the budget committee with a new budget needing to be created in the near future.

Crume said four experienced members would still be on the board.

Gaskill, Fugate and Verini voted against the motion to appoint Drummond, Jones and Williams, with Crume, Sullivan, Dominick and Mills voting for the motion. The motion passed.

Barnett said more positions would be available next year.

The council also approved the first reading of an ordinance to establish an anti-gang zone in Ontario. Ontario Police Department Capt. Mark Alexander said the ordinance would designate gang members as trespassers in certain areas of Ontario. These areas are currently not in the ordinance but will be included in a resolution after the ordinance has passed. Alexander said the resolution will include schools and is similar to Ontario’s sex offender ordinance. Designated gang members, he said, will be sent notification of their designation and will be restricted from those areas.

However, the gang members will still be allowed to go to school and work on the premises.

“As police officers, we deal a lot with taking away people’s rights, but we just as much are tasked with protecting people’s rights,” he said.

At the last work session, Dominick asked why the entire city could not be deemed as an anti-gang zone.

Ontario city attorney Larry Sullivan said a property owner could decide to prohibit gang members from their property and post a sign acknowledging that fact.

Alexander said stores near the school zones, such as Red Apple, should not be included in the resolution because there are no police officers  on the premises to enforce the law. Also, it would impede on the gang members rights, which would cause the ordinance to come into dispute and take away from its validity.

The first reading for the ordinance unanimously passed.

In other council action:

—The council heard from Ontario Parks and Recreation Director Kathy Daly regarding a new software for the Aquatic Center.

Daly said the budget board approved $30,000 for the system in the 2007-09 budget cycle.

Daly said the system would allow the center to keep track of the demographics of each patron and their usage and would also incorporate online registration.

Daly said she was able to find a Sportsman system from Salt Lake City-based Peak Software.

The system would cost $15,970 and would include a yearly maintenance cost of $2,252.

She said this service would encompass five to seven computers and believed the system could be extended to the golf course as well.

Daly spoke highly of the system, since the aquatic center’s current method of registration involves only one notebook.

—The council also approved filing a lawsuit against a now-defunct corporation to obtain a deed for a number of the Evergreen Cemetery lots.

Sullivan said the Ontario Cemetery Association deeded 600 of the approximately 1,444 cemetery lots to the city on Dec. 23, 1915.

However, no other deeds were ever recorded to give the remaining lots to the city.

The city will obtain the deed by filing a lawsuit in Malheur County Circuit Court against the Ontario Cemetery Association.

This action would be publicized for four weeks, which will count as serving the corporation.

After this time has passed, the city will receive the clear title to the property.

The council unanimously voted to continue with the action.

—The council also approved $149,627 in funds from the Oregon Department of Transportation to pay for design work to rehabilitate North Oregon Street. Ontario Public Works Director Chuck Mickelson said he hoped the rehabilitation would be funded by President Barack Obama’s current infrastructure plan. Ontario City Councilman David Sullivan expressed support for the idea, asserting the street currently looks terrible.

US Congress Mulls Voucher Plan for Gas Guzzlers

MSNBC, January 22, 2009 - The U.S. Congress is considering a plan to pay Americans to scrap their old vehicles and buy more fuel-efficient ones. The “Cash for Clunkers” program, which was introduced in both the House and Senate on Jan. 13, would give drivers vouchers of up to $4,500 to replace their vehicles. People would also be able to turn in old cars for public bus and train vouchers. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) says the bill would help America’s struggling automobile industry, while Sen. Sue Collins (R-Maine) says the bill could stimulate the economy. The bill proposes a four-year program, and could lead to the retirement of up to one million vehicles a year. People would be eligible for reimbursement for purchasing a new or used vehicle with a fuel economy rating that exceeds the federal targets for that class of vehicle by at least 25 percent, provided the vehicle costs less than $45,000 and is a model year 2004 or later. Vehicles traded in must be drivable, registered in the United States, and have a when-new fuel economy rating of less than 18 miles per gallon. During the first year of the program anyone trading in a vehicle that is model year 2002 or later could receive $4,500 for a new vehicle, $3,000 for a used vehicle, or a $3,000 transit fare credit. Dealers and scrap recycling companies would receive $50 per vehicle.

Motorcycle Safety Program Chosen by DMV
MSF to Administer the More Than $6 Million Program

Commissioner David J. Swarts today announced that the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has accepted a proposal from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) to administer the statewide motorcycle safety program. The five-year contract in the amount of $6,325,000 will be used to manage a motorcycle safety program consisting of rider education, program promotion and public awareness. The program is funded solely by New York’s motorcyclists from a portion of the motorcycle license and registration fees.

According to Commissioner Swarts, “The goal of the state’s motorcycle safety program is to reduce the number of accidents, injuries and fatalities associated with motorcycling. The program developed by MSF will promote proper and prudent motorcycle operation while at the same time heightening awareness among the general public regarding sharing the road with motorcyclists.”

Legislation proposed by the Department of Motor Vehicles and passed in 2008 allowed for a competitive bid process which resulted in the selection of MSF. This new contract was bid at a cost that is $157,000 less than the previous five-year contract with the Motorcycle Association of New York State (MANYS), which will expire on February 3, 2009.

DMV continues to offer incentives for motorcyclists to seek rider education by providing a waiver of the motorcycle road test for those who successfully complete the MSF’s beginning rider course. More than 110,000 motorcyclists have enrolled in the beginning rider course since the program’s inception in 1996. In 2008, approximately one-quarter of the motorcyclists licensed in New York earned their endorsement by successfully completing the MSF Basic RiderCourse.

The MSF is a not-for-profit foundation that is supported by motorcycle manufacturers. The rider education component of the program uses a nationally recognized curriculum developed by the Foundation. MSF, which is also currently conducting successful motorcycle training in a number of other states including Pennsylvania and California, is internationally recognized for developing a comprehensive, research-based, Rider Education and Training System and promotes lifelong-learning for motorcyclists and continuous professional development for certified RiderCoaches and other trainers. MSF also actively participates in government relations, safety research, public awareness campaigns and the provision of technical assistance to state training and licensing programs.

Interested motorcyclists can call MSF at a toll-free number, 1-800-446-9227 to find the nearest MSF course location.

Riders oppose bill to muffle noisy bikes

CONCORD – Motorcycle riders from across the state turned out in force yesterday to oppose a bill to cut allowable noise levels that come from their tailpipes.

Rep. Judith Day, D-North Hampton, sponsored the bill, House Bill 95, after 1,000 registered voters in her town signed a petition asking that legal noise levels be cut.

She said residents hear motorcycles all summer long as they tour roads along the Atlantic coast, and want things quieter.

Roughly 120 people, from Whitefield to Keene, turned out for the public hearing, most of them opposed to the changes the bill proposes. Critics said it is written too vaguely to enforce, will hurt motorcycle dealers and could disrupt the annual Laconia motorcycle week, a major cultural and economic event for the Lakes Region.

Current law says motorcycles can produce no more than 106 decibels. Day first proposed a lower limit of 95 decibels, then amended her bill to allow 99 decibels on bikes built after 1986. The fine for violations now is between $100 and $300, but Day would increase the maximum to $1,000.

Sen. Robert Letourneau, R-Derry, opposed the bill saying state law was carefully crafted to match the rights of competing groups — motorcycle owners and a public that enjoys a quiet afternoon.

Letourneau noted the issue is especially hot in New Hampshire, which has the highest ratio of motorcycle owners in the country. The real issue is noise from motorcycles that violate the existing law with straight pipes that do little to muffle noise.

Others noted that the bill’s ban on exhaust modifications will pose a hardship for owners of older bikes, and for parts dealers who will be stuck with exhaust equipment they can’t sell.

John Froehling of Rochester, chairman of the American Legion Riders state committee, said that if the state starts shifting noise standards too frequently, owners won’t know what to do.

“In two years, you could cost people a lot of money all over again,” he said.

Froehling noted that the North Hampton-Exeter area where the noise petition originated is also bothered by noise from a local airstrip and the Downeaster commuter train.

House Republican Leader Sherman Packard, R-Londonderry, objected to the bill, saying “it is probably the most anti-motorcycle bill I’ve seen in my 18 years in the Legislature.”

State transportation agency requests funds for cable barriers

While David Die is mourning the loss of a longtime friend, he also is adamantly opposed to something that could have saved his friend’s life.

Harold James Guidry, 60, of Crystal Beach died Monday after a vehicle crossed the center median of Interstate 10 and hit his vehicle head-on.

The accident happened near mile marker 840 near Fannett, along the same stretch of roadway where the Texas Department of Transportation hopes to soon install cable barriers to prevent such accidents.

Die, an avid motorcyclist from Port Neches, is opposed to cable barriers, contending they are a danger to motorcyclists like himself.

“Cheese graters” is how Die describes cable barriers, which can severely hurt or even kill motorcyclists if they hit them.

But he also admits that a barrier, even a cable one, would have saved the life of a man he’d worked alongside for 30 years at Port Arthur’s Valero refinery.

“Barriers are good. What I’m wanting to push is that there needs to be more research on them and there’s barriers other than cable ones that need to be installed,” he said.

Those other barriers, though, have not yet been crash-tested in the United States and therefore are not under consideration, said Marc Shepherd, a Texas Department of Transportation spokesman for Beaumont’s district.

Cable barriers are effective in eliminating accidents on the highway, Shepherd said, and the state transportation agency is hoping to get economic stimulus funding for installation of nearly 20 miles of them along the interstate between Beaumont and Winnie.

Last year the agency missed out on hazard elimination funding because of the tough competition for funds in Texas. This year, the federal government is hoping to boost the economy with stimulus funds for projects and Shepherd would like cable barrier installation to be one of them.

“Washington said they wanted to stir up jobs that are ready to go in a short time, like overlay projects and anything with a quick turnaround, ones that are shovel-ready, something we can hurry up and get to the construction phase,” Shepherd explained. “The money is not to get the highway infrastructure up, but for getting the economy primed back up.”

Cable barriers could be one of those quick projects, he said.

Cost is expected to be about $4.5 million and the project could be complete within a few months after the funds are issued, Shepherd said. Texas is expected to get $75 million.

He noted that the 35 projects in contention do not include the state’s higher priority “wish list” projects such as widening roads in Lumberton and working on parts of U.S. 69. Those require long-term planning and funding, he explained.

One of Die’s concerns with the barrier proposal is that the transportation agency chooses cable as the material because it is cheaper. As a member of the Texas Motorcycle Safety Coalition, Die and the other members soon will begin looking at all studies done on all barriers, including cable barriers. Thirty months later, the coalition will make its own report.

European studies have shown better, safer barriers exist, Die said.

The cost of those barriers, however, is far more than the state has to spend, Shepherd said.

“There’s no perfect barrier that takes care of everything,” Shepherd said. “There might be (alternatives) down the road, but there’s none yet.”

Alternatives and changes in the vehicle choices of Texans will alter the decision to have cable barriers as first choice.

“We design safety for the vast majority of vehicles on the roads and those are trucks, SUVs, sedans and 18-wheelers,” he said.

“If we see more motorcycles, then you’ll see more changes in safety issues.”

New Transportation Secretary Endorses Toll Roads
US Transportation Secretary designate Ray LaHood endorses toll road policies of his predecessor.

Motorists expecting change from President Barack Obama’s choice of transportation secretary may instead find only a slight adjustment of priorities. Former Illinois Congressman Ray LaHood (R-Peoria) appeared before Senate transportation committee colleagues yesterday to give the first glimpse at what he wants to do to with federal transportation funds after taking his place in the cabinet.

“Tolling new lanes of highways is thinking outside the box,” LaHood said. “We need to think about those kinds of opportunities. If we’re going to think innovatively, those are some of the ways we’re going to have to think about these things instead of the gas tax.”

LaHood referred to the federal fuel excise tax first implemented in 1932 as a “dinosaur” and repeated the claims made by former Transportation Secretary Mary Peters that traditional funding sources were not bringing in enough money (more). LaHood suggested tolling was the “innovative” alternative that the country needs to “plus up” transportation revenue. Toll roads have been in use since the Middle Ages both as a means of generating fee income and of controlling public movement.

A handful of senators expressed reservations regarding the imposition of tolls on highways. Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R), for example, said the current emphasis on these methods was “too strong” and that the addition of toll booths on existing interstate highway lanes was not in the public interest.

“Personally, I don’t think it’s a good idea,” LaHood agreed.

A pair of Senate newcomers weighed in with their thoughts on the subject. While former Virginia Governor Mark Warner (D) praised his state’s leadership on public-private partnership initiatives such as the Beltway High Occupancy Toll lanes, he said that he worried about deals where private companies were risking public money to make a corporate profit. Warner’s warning would appear to apply to the Beltway toll lanes he endorsed in which an Australian company will invest less than the cost of the interest on the $1.9 billion project, yet the company will pocket tolls from drivers over the next eighty years. Alaska Senator Mark Begich (D) said more directly that he was just not a fan of tolling.

On other topics, LaHood appeared more interested in adjusting priorities at the department than overturning past policy decisions. Increased use of motorist funds to subsidize transit, for example, follows from LaHood’s record of supporting increased funding for Amtrak. LaHood emphasized his consistent record in favor of raising CAFE standards and insisted that transportation projects would move forward quickly as part of an economic stimulus package.

“We have a mandate from President Obama to get things done,” LaHood said.

LaHood received the unanimous endorsement of the committee. He will take office upon the approval of the full Senate where the vote could come as early as today.