Officials, Students Skeptical of Gang Patrol Proposal

A proposal to have gangs patrol local high schools in parts of Orange County is still being formulated, says a member of the United Gangs Council.

City officials and students are skeptical about how effective gang patrols would be.

Bobby Flores, a member of the United Gangs Council based in Santa Ana, said a patrol of gang members would supervise some schools in Anaheim, Fullerton, Santa Ana and Placentia and stave off confrontations between rival gangs.

Flores said the council will need permission from local police agencies and school officials.

The weather and a lack of money have prevented the gang council from completing the proposal, Flores said.

“Because we meet outside in the park, we haven’t been able to meet with all of this rain,” Flores said. “And we need money for walkie-talkies.”

Flores said the United Gangs Council is confident that the plan will work. Council members believe that their reputation and knowledge of the streets can help stop the violence from reaching schools.

Despite the confidence of Flores, several city officials said that the plan is generous but that it needs further evaluation.

Sal Mendoza, school board member in Santa Ana, said he and other school officials are worried about what the gang patrol would do if violence broke out.

“I want to know to what extent they are going to intercede in a gang fight,” Mendoza said.

Anaheim Police Chief Joseph T. Molloy said that his office had not received any further word of the proposal since November and that he wondered if the patrol idea was still in effect.

“The last time I heard about the patrol, there were more questions than answers,” Molloy said.

When gunfire and violence erupted at several high schools at the beginning of the school year, the United Gangs Council proposed the idea of a patrol during a press conference on Oct. 16.

Most high school students questioned about the council’s proposal said they were in favor but wondered how the patrol would be effective without weapons.

Santa Ana High School student Ralph Zuniga said: “I think they could be all right for fights and things, but if the shooting starts, they won’t be able to do anything.”

Emilio Moreno, a former gang member now working as a counselor for a drug rehabilitation center, said that the gang patrol is a good idea but that the gang council needs more cooperation from city and county officials. He said the gang members definitely can be a preventive measure because “sometimes kids don’t want to tell school officials or police what is going on.”