Whether it involves drug dealing, graffiti, burglary or gun violence, gang crime affects everyone.
Gang members often start out by committing property crimes but soon graduate to acts of violence and weapons violations. Committing crimes becomes a way to satisfy peer pressure and to make money. Depending upon the group, gang crimes also become a way of controlling the streets and the neighborhood.
The District Attorney’s Gang Violence Unit seeks to have maximum impact on those gangs known for high recidivism and disproportionately high rates of violence, particularly firearms use.
The unit currently consists of five prosecutors, and one investigator. Attorneys assigned to the unit are experienced prosecutors with special training in the identification and prosecution of criminal street gangs, and all are adept at dealing with issues such as witness fear and intimidation.
By working closely with members of the San Francisco Police Department’s Gang Task Force, unit members are kept informed of developments on the streets, identity of active gang members, and inter-gang conflict. This information permits the unit to make informed charging decisions, and to allocate resources appropriately.
Unit Successes
The profile of cases handled by the Gang Violence Unit has shifted dramatically. From 30 percent narcotics cases at the beginning of 2004, the Unit now handles almost exclusively acts of violence and weapons violations. By early 2005, 85 percent of the Unit’s caseload consisted of shootings and other firearm-related crimes. By implementing the District Attorney’s new gun policy, the Gang Violence Unit now seeks substantial county jail or state prison time for even first-time firearms violators.
Since 2004, the Unit has secured 223 felony gang convictions with nearly all defendants receiving state prison sentences. After one trial that lasted four months, a gang member was convicted of murder for the killing of an innocent bystander in a drive-by shooting. In another trial lasting three months, a gang member was convicted of murder for the shooting of a rival gang member at a 7-Eleven following a late night chance encounter. In an attempted murder case in which the victim was shot six times, the defendant was convicted of attempted first-degree murder, and sentenced to a life term in prison following attempts to both intimidate and bribe prosecution witnesses.
District Attorney Harris is also working to prevent gang violence, securing $900,000 in partnership with now Speaker Nancy Pelosi to launch a Community Response Network in the Bayview. CRNs are collaborative frameworks that address youth and gang violence in a specific neighborhood by incorporating existing services and funded programs while coordinating these efforts more succinctly.
Those practices include: providing intensive case management for highest-risk youth and their families; night and weekend street outreach in parks, street corners and other hot spots; crisis intervention to prevent retaliation and escalation after violent attacks; and therapeutic services to address the post traumatic stress disorder experienced by the youth in violent communities. In connection with this initiative, the District Attorney will open a satellite office in the Bayview.
Contact Information:
Pamela Pecora-Hansen
Managing Attorney, Gang Violence Unit
553-1580
District Attorney's Victim Services Division
553-9044
Additional Resources:
SFPD Gang Taskforce
553-1401