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Long Beach Press Telegram Supportive witnesses Swift arrests show what a difference cooperation can make. Saturday, December 06, 2003 - Though gun battles unfortunately aren't rare on the streets of Long Beach, a drive-by attack Tuesday night had an unusual and welcome outcome: The victims identified their assailants to police, which led to the speedy arrests of four suspects. For obvious reasons, witnesses and victims are generally reluctant to point their fingers at gang members who have committed crimes. That holds true whether those people are law-abiding residents or, as in Tuesday's case, rival gang members. But this time was different. Police moved quickly on the tips from the victims, and within four hours arrested the suspects and seized a stolen car and a gun. Three teenagers were hurt . one badly, and still hospitalized . in the Central Long Beach shooting. The quick police work supports what officers say often: that with the right cooperation from the public, they could put a lot more gang members behind bars and stop a lot more crime. The problem is that it is much easier said than done. It is true that if every victim and witness in gang neighborhoods cooperated with law enforcement, that would in time dramatically reduce gang crime, maybe even eliminate it in some places. But who wants to be among the first to step forward, knowing that their lives or the lives of family members could be at risk? That is one of the toughest questions surrounding gang-crime solutions, and it's not easily answered. The decision to identify gang members, or to testify against them, is one that each resident in that circumstance must make for themselves. But perhaps Tuesday night's case, because it led to such a swift and decisive outcome, will help tilt the scales in favor of greater cooperation. It showed how witness cooperation, together with solid police work, can quickly remove one threat from the streets of Long Beach. And if that successful pattern can be repeated enough times, it could remove many more such threats. News Topics | Home | Research | History | Blood Gangs | Crip Gangs | People| Life in a Gang | Gallery | Iraqi Cards | Memorial | Migration | Graffiti | Resume| Injunctions Homicides | Maps | California Prisons | Contact

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