Gang sweeps help to keep our communities clean

The Tri-Cities and surrounding areas are pulling in the welcome mat.

The message? So long, gang members.

That's one segment of the population we don't want to increase.

The law enforcement officials who carry out this difficult and sometimes dangerous task deserve the community's gratitude.

But they would be the first to recognize the wretched waste of potential that gang life represents.

Of course, it's necessary to protect society from youthful criminals who threaten our safety and security.

But we shouldn't stop looking for a better way.

All our lives would be improved if these young people could turn from their life of crime, get an education and contribute to society.

If these young adults could enter a courtroom wearing the robes of a judge instead of a prison jumpsuit, that would be a far bigger victory than a jail sentence.

If they're headed to the hospital's emergency room, we would love for it to be as nurses and doctors rather than victims of a drive-by shooting or knife fight.

Diverting young people from gang life is a lofty but worthy goal. And it will take a coordinated effort by parents, schools, churches and the rest of the community.

Until that day, our appreciation goes out to other coordinated efforts -- the ones that put criminals with gang ties behind bars.

Two of these recent collaborations are Operation Cooperation, an effort led by the U.S. Marshals and includes Yakima, Grant, Chelan and Walla Walla counties, and Operation Summer Heat, a five-day local effort that netted 45 fugitives.

This was the fourth local gang sweep in just more than a year.

A gang sweep is just what it sounds like. It targets known gang members who have outstanding warrants, gathers them up and holds them accountable not only for the original charges, but also any additional illegal activities they're involved in.

In total, those four sweeps have sent 160 gang-involved fugitives in the Tri-Cities to jail -- and captured more criminals beyond our borders.

Kennewick Police Chief Ken Hohenberg said the goal is to send two messages: One is the commitment to the citizens that, "We're going to keep them safe," and, perhaps the bolder commitment to the criminals that, "We're going to continue to hunt them down and put them in jail."

Key to making this approach work is the communication between different jurisdictions.

When Yakima starts to clean house, the Tri-Cities sees an influx of gang members. Back when Pasco buckled down on crime, other cities saw their numbers increase.

Agencies working together keep the fugitives from settling in anywhere. It's not a perfect solution, but it's a good immediate step.

One program that caught our eye is Yakima County's Building the Bridges project, which connects juveniles with former gang members. Sheriff Ken Irwin operates the program with a $500,000 federal grant and says it's fantastic.

Police up and down the Valley are doing more than just arresting criminals. (Although they're getting pretty efficient at that piece of it.)

They are also diligently working to prevent kids from joining gangs and to offer alternatives to kids who are already indoctrinated.

They can't do it alone. Each of us will have to get involved.