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| Dismantling Syracuse gangs |
| By syracuse.com |
| Published: 06/13/2011 |
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The prosecutions of city street gangs has taken more than 100 hardened criminals off the streets, said Assistant U.S. Attorney John Katko. Members of seven Syracuse gangs have been sent to prison on racketeering, drug and gun-trafficking charges since 2003, Katko said. Most are serving stiff sentences, including life in prison with no chance of parole. The Gang Violence Task Force, led by Syracuse police with help from county, state and federal authorities, has put a major dent in organized violence, police and prosecutors said. The takedown of Bricktown gang in April helped solve the murders of toddler Walker Jr., who was killed in November while sitting in his car seat in a minivan, and of a 32-year-old sitting on his porch in 2007, prosecutors said. Spikes in violent crime closely followed the rise and fall of city gangs. This timeline was pieced together from Katko and FBI statistics: The city’s gangs first started trafficking illegal guns around 1999. A year later, the violent crime rate jumped nearly 9 percent. The rate remained high until 2003, when authorities arrested about 25 members of the Boot Camp gang. That same year, violent crime dropped by 9 percent. After reaching a low point in 2004, violence surged by almost 20 percent in 2005. Read More. |
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