Abbott announced plans for new Texas anti-gang centers in
Waco and Tyler in September and reiterated his resolve to fund the creation of
the two new centers and to give additional funding for the six existing
centers, during his state of the state address this week.
Aftermath of police massacre in Waco, Texas
“The State of Texas is sending a message to criminals and
gang members that any attempts to compromise the safety of our communities will
not be tolerated,” Abbott said. “My top priority as governor is keeping Texans
safe, and these latest proposals will help me do just that.”
The anti-gang centers involve local, state and federal law
enforcement brought together under one roof to cooperate, share information and
crack down on violent criminal activity, officials have said. The existing
centers in Houston, San Antonio, McAllen, El Paso, Lubbock and Dallas, have
achieved significant success in curbing gang activity governor’s office
spokesman John Whitman said.
“The governor has said we know that these work because we
have seen the results,” Whitman said. “In 2017, 1,400 criminals associated with
gang-related activity were taken off the street in the Houston area. We have
seen the results and we need to replicate that around the state, and the next
two places we are proposing to do that are Waco and Tyler.”
Archive | Waco Shooting History
Abbott has requested $7.1 million to continue funding for
existing anti-gang centers and the two proposed centers, Whitman said. The Waco
City Council approved a resolution Tuesday for the city to submit a $3.5
million criminal justice grant request to the governor’s office to fund the
Waco center. If awarded, there would be no matching local funds required,
Whitman said.
Funding is contingent on approval from the Texas
Legislature, but Whitman said the governor has widespread support from
lawmakers for most of his criminal justice proposals. The grant awards will be
released in September, he said.
Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton said if the money is
allocated for the center in Waco, there is no specific timeline to have it
operational. He said it will take time to find an appropriate location, furnish
and equip it and select and possibly train officers who will participate.
Waco police Sgt.W. Patrick Swanton still in denial of what really happened
“As a department, we are very proud that the governor
thought enough of us to ask us to be a part of this,” Swanton said. “It also is
a big deal for our community because it will make our city safer. If you look
at our past history, we know that gangs are here. We had outlaw motorcycle
gangs that disrupted our community several years ago. There are prison gangs.
MS-13 is here. Mexican Mafia members are here. Other prison gangs, the Bloods,
Crips, they are here. We kind of run the gamut from everything from large
organized prison gangs to your little neighborhood wannabe gangs. The officers
will deal with those and try to cut off the head of the snake.”
Swanton said Waco likely was selected because of its central
location, its gang presence and the May 2015 midday shootout at the former Twin
Peaks restaurant between rival biker groups, Bandidos and Cossacks, that left
nine dead and 20 wounded.
“Gang members are some of the worst criminals out there, and
our history with the Bandidos and Cossacks show the level they are capable of,”
Swanton said. “They could care less about the citizenry. When you have a shootout
in a very open mall area in the middle of the day, they don’t care about
citizens and their safety. They could care less about who is in their way or
who gets hurt, and that is what we are trying to combat.”
Cover up continues - Follow the money
Besides local agencies like police departments and sheriff’s
offices, anti-gang centers typically include investigators from the Texas
Department of Public Safety and federal agencies, including possibly the Drug
Enforcement Administration, FBI, Homeland Security, the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service, DPS
spokeswoman Katherine Cesinger said. Anti-gang officers also work closely with
state and federal prosecutors, Cesinger said.
The state’s first anti-gang center was established in Houston in 2012.
“Gangs and their associates are a significant threat to
public safety, not only because of their penchant for violence and criminal
activity, but also their relationships with other criminal organizations, such
as Mexican cartels,” DPS Director Steven McCraw said in a statement. “The TAG
centers utilize a proven strategy to increase safety in our communities by
seamlessly coordinating local, state and federal resources in an effort to
identify, disrupt and prosecute ruthless gangs operating in our communities.”
State Rep. Charles “Doc” Anderson, R-Waco, said he expects
support for the measure in the House and Senate. He said Interstate 35 and U.S.
Highway 77 provide natural corridors for drug and human traffickers, and
Abbott’s proposed anti-gang center will help combat those major crime areas.
“I really appreciate the governor supporting law enforcement
in our area that way,” Anderson said. “There are others around the state that
have done well, and I am pleased the governor is helping to protect us in our
area and I believe it most likely will come to fruition.”
SOURCE: WacoTribune-Herald