Rogue Gangs - Stopping School Gang Activity
Two Hispanic gangs, the Nortenos and the Surenos are becoming increasingly active in this region.
Police say they're not just in Medford, but everywhere from Ashland to Grants Pass.
Residents of one West Medford neighborhood say gang activity has completely changed the place they call home. They're worried about the effect it will have on their children, and Medford Police say they will have to change their approach as local gangs are now taking their gang banging to a whole new level.
Residents of this West Medford neighborhood say they've seen the changes.
"There is an increasing gang problem in our neighborhood," said West Medford resident Cody Allen Buchert.
Neighborhood resident Cheri Kezer says it's a big problem that must be addressed.
"Can't let you kids out after dark have to watch them all the time cant send them to the public park event the school is not a place to send them to play after school its hard," Kezer said, and some kids say they're scared of their neighborhood park, Union Park.
"Sometimes at nighttime my friends we live right by each other sometimes its scary we have to run through the park," said Derek Betzold, a sixth grader at Washington Elementary School.
Many neighborhood residents declined an on-camera interview about gang activity out of fear of retaliation but say they know these gangs are in the neighborhoods and police say that influence is spilling into the schools.
Police say gang activity in schools is increasing.
"What's different now Rogue Valley is growing like never grown before more and more families people moving her from larger cities, bringing that big city influence into Medford," said Mike Jackson, a school resource officer at South Medford High School.
As a school resource officer, Jackson says he knows who gang members and their associates are, and says the Medford Police presence on campus can be a deterrent for gang activity but says it's still on the rise.
"If you come from East Los Angeles and look at Medford then you'll say we don't have a gang problem but if they're committing crimes in the name of a gang organization, I definitely think it's a problem," Jackson said.
Jackson says gang clothing is confiscated every week and part of the problem is that parent's aren't involved in their children's lives. He says for many high school students, what their kids wear to school in the morning, isn't necessarily what they will be wearing for the day.
"A lot of them are doing it right under their parents' noses and they have no idea," Jackson said.
Jackson says the gangs have now changed their approach they're net banging displays of weapons, gang memorabilia and hand signs all out for the world to see.
Jackson says the police department hopes to get ahead of the problem before it gets out of hand. But some say, it already has.
"Somebody's gotta do something, there's talk of improving the park, upping the patrols but you don't see it, nothing ever being done. It's all the same thing all the time," Kezer said.
Medford police will soon start a program called Tech Smarts, it's an Internet safety program that will be presented to students at local schools. It is hoping to educate students from the elementary through high school levels about the dangers associated with involvement in gang activity.
Wednesday on News 10 at 6 P.M. find out what the community is being asked to do to combat the gang problem and the programs in place to offer those second chances.
Have you seen an increase in gang activity where you live? What should be done about it? Is increasing the Police presence the only answer? Does there need to be a community response? What will it take to solve this problem? Discuss this issue in our Forums!
