Changes Still Needed To Reduce Gang Harm in Utah and elsewhere

Thank You to all Utah legislators who stood up and said enhance the gang laws! Thank You to all who still work with the gang problem in Utah.

Improvements Needed: (1) Funding and resources for Adult Probation and Parole officers. The gang problem and the amount of violence in our communities is not decreasing, we need necessary staff in place to deal with the ongoing issues. (2) Prosecuting Attorneys that stand up and say NO to the harm of gangs thru enhancement of offenses utilizing laws already on the books.(3) Prosecuting Attorneys that prosecute gang related offenses such as graffiti so that citizens of the county do not have to continue to pay for the damage (yes we do have the technology to punish offenders).(4) Jail space that addresses the current crime and incarceration trends. After Incarceration thru programs for offenders who have been released to help them stay out of gangs. This is extremely important when the difficulty in getting employment increased with the current recession. (5)Every school in every community needs to have mandatory drug and gang awareness training, programs such as GREAT and recommended programs by the Department of Justice for older children and adults.(6) Teachers would have mandatory training - this would include understanding the significance of graffiti,” flying colors”, bullying, how drug dealing occurs in public schools, and what are symptoms of drug abuse and addiction.(7)Schools would have random drug searches by Canine Units. This would include lockers, backpacks, parking lots, and student cars.