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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 17, 1989)
Officer speaks on gang-busting By fcric Planner Staff Reporter For Lincoln to avoid the kind of gang activity occurring in Los Ange les, law enforcement officials and social workers must work in a pre ventive way instead of waiting until gangs are established, according to a Los Angeles policeman. Detective Loren Zimmerman of the Los Angeles Police Department’s South Homicide Bureau talked to criminal justice students Friday in Ncihardt Hall about his experiences as a homicide detective. The South Bureau, which covers an area about the size of Lincoln, has had 90 homicides so far this year, Zimmerman said. The only way to combat gangs is to “fight fire with fire,” he said. “If you want the street gangs off the streets, you have to rough them up and get lough,” he said. Zimmerman said Los Angeles’ tough policy is starling to pay divi dends. Gangs are spreading to other areas of the country, he said, partly to escape the tough Los Angeles police. One arrested gang member, Zim merman said, told him, “They (the LA police) put our faces in the mud.” In the Midwest, he said, most crimes are related to drugs, not gangs. But the lure of the narcotics trade is drawing gang members to the Mid west, he said. And the source of the narcotics problem is not the gangs, he said. “The real drug problem is not down on the street,” he said. “There are too many lawyers, politicians and rich people involved.” The gangs also arc opening up the requirements for being a gang mem ber. It is now possible, Zimmerman said, for whites and Hispanics to join traditionally black gangs like the Bloods and Crips. “Anyone can join provided they pay the dues when the time comes -- and the dues are committing mur der,” he said. Gang members, he said, arc proud of their killings. As they drive away from the scene of a shooting, they shout the name of their gang to let people know who was responsible, he said. “There is a turf tiling, and pride among the younger sets, but the main reason for the violence is the dope,” he said. Zimmerman said hedoesn’lseean end to the problem of gangs as long as the drug trade is financially reward ing. He cited the case of an 11 -year-old boy whose mother paid him $100 a day to ride his bike up and down the street in front of her house instead of going to school, in order to watch out for police and rival gang members while she sold drugs. “Some day, he will be lying on the street with yellow tape around him,” he said. Police, he said, have a hard time I - keeping up with the gang violence. When officers take over a shift, they are already 14 or 15 calls behind, he said. But the police department and the state of California have adopted sev eral techniques to combat the vio lence. The LAPD has a battering ram mounted on a tank-like vehicle, he said, which is used to break into the fortified homes of drug dealers. Po lice need to show probable cause that the house is fortified in order to use the ram, he said. In Los Angeles, police can get search warrants over the phone, Zimmerman said. Officers also can get “associate warrants,” he said, that allow police to search the homes of friends of a suspect. California also has a “reasonable detention law,” he said, that allows police to detain a suspect for four or five hours without having to make an arrest. Prisons, he said, are unable to keep up with the constant flow of con victed gang members. 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Many ideas for improvements were suggested by the respondents. In future issues of this publication, these ideas and suggestions will be addressed by the Parking Services Division. Several main themes were predominate throughout the surveys which pointed out the need for immediate action by PAC. The number one problem as indicated by the survey affects those permit holders who arrive after 8:00 A.M. for work, and cannot locate even a reasonably close park ing space to their office. If that employee leaves for any reason during the day the parking space will not be available when they return to work. The second major concern deals with the fact many vehicles are parking in employee facilities without valid UNL parking permits, thus taking away the use of these stalls from bona-fide users. At the PAC meeting held on April 3rd, 1989, these comments were taken into account and the decision to restrict two main areas for guaranteed parking spaces was advanced and voted on subject to approval of administration officials. Area 16, north of the Nebraska Student Union, will be designated as guaranteed parking space for employees. The hours of enforcement will be 7:00 A.M. to 7:30 P.M. Monday through Friday. Area 1 at 17th and Vine will be for both commuter and residence hall students and enforced twenty-four hours daily, seven days a week. Neither of these lots will be oversold, allowing for each permit holder a space within the park ing lot. The fee, as set by PAC, and subject to final approval will be $150.00 annually. In addition all reserved stalls assigned to individuals will be assessed the same. This program will be tried on an experimental basis for at least one year. The Board further voted that all departments that use university parking space for the storage of assigned state vehicles are to be assessed a fee equal to the price of a regular parking permit. In the event that demand for the guaranteed parking space exceeds the number of available stalls then a lottery will be held to give all applicants an equal chance of obtaining a permit. Further information about this concept will be published upon approval of administration officials. At the next Parking Advisory Committee meeting scheduled for April 24th, 1989, the board members will consider a regular parking permit increase from $40.00 to $50.00 per year. There has not been a rate increase since 1984 and Parking Services has maintained a balanced budget during this time; however, because of increased cost sustained over the last five years, funds available for parking improvements has been severely limited. With the proposed $10.00 increase, Parking Services will be in a stronger financial position to meet its obligations , also will allow for improve ments of parking facilities and proceed with several new parking lots on both City and East campuses. Parking Advisory Committee