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Ross appointed to state work
group on criminal gangs
14th District lawmaker says he'll ask panel to
have meeting in Valley
Rep. Charles Ross, R-Naches, will
serve on the work group created by the Legislature to come up with
recommendations for a state-level response to gang-related crime. He
received word this morning of his appointment, made by the Speaker of
the House.
"I'm glad for the
opportunity to share the Yakima Valley's perspective on an issue that is
of vital importance to our communities. Hopefully this group will get
together soon to start working through the questions and concerns that
kept the Legislature from taking decisive anti-gang action during this
year's session," said Ross, who has made public safety the top priority
of his first term as a state representative.
"I'll suggest that we have
our first or second meeting here in the Valley. It would help to begin
with a clear sense of what gang activity can do to a community and let
the group see how people here are stepping forward to address the gang
problem."
Ross co-sponsored
House Bill 2215 and
HB 2224 in 2007 to give law enforcement
officers and prosecutors new tools to respond to the upswing in
criminal-gang activity in Washington. Both measures died in the House.
The legislation directing the Washington Association of Sheriffs and
Police Chiefs to establish the work group was
Senate Bill 5987. Introduced by 14th
District
Sen. Jim Clements, it was originally
identical to HB 2224 but rewritten before passing in the Legislature.
Serving with Ross on the
work group will be three other legislators (a Democrat from the House,
and a Republican and Democrat from the state Senate) plus appointees
associated with the
Office of the Attorney General, local
law enforcement, prosecutors and municipal attorneys, criminal defense
attorneys, court administrators, prison or detention administrators and
probation officers, and experts in gang or delinquency prevention.
Ross and other work group
members are to evaluate and make recommendations regarding legislative
measures to combat gang-related crime, the creation of a statewide gang
information database, possible reforms to the juvenile justice system
for gang-related juvenile offenses, best practices for prevention and
intervention of youth gang membership, and the adoption of legislation
authorizing a civil anti-gang injunction. The group's report is due to
the Legislature no later than next Jan. 1.
"It was disappointing that
we weren't able to agree on stronger deterrents and penalties for gang
members before leaving Olympia," said Ross. "Going the work group route
can be effective -- I remember that the law to keep sex offenders from
residing within a certain distance from schools was the product of a
task force Senator Clements chaired. But this new group needs to get
going if we're going to have recommendations ready for the 2008 session,
and put the Legislature in a position to act."
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Contact: Rep. Ross (360) 786-7856
Eric Campbell, House Republican Communications (360) 786-7720 |