KENNEWICK, Wash. -The Benton County sheriff says the gang
unit is making headway.
The
gang unit Thursday released figures from 2012 showing deputies jailed 191
people with gang ties, seized dozens of dangerous weapons, and confiscated
$10,000 in cash believed to be profits from drug dealing.
The
unit responded to 146 gang-related calls last year, compared to 124 in 2011.
Sheriff
Steve Keane says graffiti was cut by 58-percent last year.
Keane says many of the most active and violent
gang members are now in jail and says there is a noticeable decrease in gang
violence, including the lower Yakima Valley.
The gang unit says of all
the people arrested for car theft last year, half have gang ties. The sheriff
says the gang unit's work resulted in a 40 percent decrease in vehicle theft in
2012.
