Gang injunctions and their effectiveness in preventing gang-related crime will be the focus of a Town Hall meeting on Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at the Veterans’ Memorial Community Center, 313 W. Tunnell, in Santa Maria.
Presented by the Santa Maria Police Department, the meeting will feature a panel of experts from the police department, the Santa Barbara County Probation Department, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office, and the private sector. Panel members will be present to answer questions from the public regarding the effectiveness of gang injunctions, as well as other solutions to gang-related crime.
“We want the public to be informed about injunctions and what’s being done in the community to combat gang violence,” Cpl. Jesus Valle told the Sun.
The meeting will be held in English. However, there will be several translation devices available to Spanish-speaking attendees. Bilingual officers will also be available to answer questions at the end of the meeting.
For more information about the meeting, e-mail rnarez@ci.santa-maria.ca.us.
—Amy Asman
This article appears in Jan 21-28, 2010.