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| Deputy of the Year focuses on gangs |
| By goupstate.com |
| Published: 12/28/2009 |
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The narrated tour of “disputed lands” started and ended near the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office. Deputy Nick Hullinger drove past mostly vacant buildings and street signs altered by graffiti taggings. He deciphered for the Herald-Journal which gangs were claiming turf and threatening to kill other gang members. “For the last two years, I've been telling anyone who will listen,” Hullinger said. “Spartanburg County has a gang problem that needs to be addressed.” Hullinger said it's not a topic that many are willing to discuss, but he “kept harping on it.” The 37-year-old uniform patrol deputy convinced his superiors to let him work on amassing information on gangs one off-day a week. As one of a handful of deputies fluent in Spanish, he has gathered information on several Latino gangs north and west of Spartanburg's city limits. He's also gathering information on black gangs, Asian gangs and motorcycle gangs that are predominantly white. Hullinger and Deputy Dennis Maloata recently were designated by Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright to monitor gang activity. “I kind of got my wish for the foreseeable future,” Hullinger said. He was glad the sheriff had given him the assignment, which he called a “blessing.” Hullinger recently gave a presentation, sharing the gathered information with other jurisdictions throughout Spartanburg County. The presentation impressed Mandy Gallivan, an assistant solicitor who joined the 7th Judicial Circuit in August and is developing a case load of gang-related crimes. Gallivan said prosecution of some cases will begin in the spring. “I have several in the works,” Gallivan said. “Nick has been a huge part of that. You can tell he has a real passion for it. He's very organized and has a lot of knowledge.” Gallivan said her assignment shows that gang activity is “something we don't want to be naive to. The problem does exist, and we want to make adjustments before it gets out of control.” Hullinger said the number of businesses where young people gather that believe they need to hire armed security or hire off-duty officers shows these companies recognize a propensity of violence and is an “Ah-ha moment.” He said fifth-graders are flashing hand signs in Spartanburg County. Hullinger said school uniforms for middle and high schoolers — a procedure already done at the Alternative School — would eliminate young gang members wearing their colors at schools. This month, Wright awarded Hullinger the Deputy of the Year honor at the department's annual Christmas party/awards banquet at the Mid-City Shrine Club in Wellford. Read More. |
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