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Paso Robles forms gang and drug enforcement team

April 8, 2013

paso police4The Paso Robles Police Department has created a gang and drug enforcement team to help reduce gang related crimes. [Tribune]

Starting this week, two veteran police officers will focus solely on attempting to take gang members and drug dealers off the streets.

“Their job is primarily proactive — gathering intelligence, but also out there working visible (operations) as well,” said Lt. Ty Lewis.

Previously, the police department received assistance from the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Gang and Narcotics Task Force in dealing with its own gang and drug problems. The new gang and drug enforcement team will operate separately from the sheriff’s task force.

Under former Police Chief Lisa Solomon-Chitty, the department staff dropped from 46 approved officers to 26 sworn officers. At times, the former chief kept as few as two patrol officers on duty.

Since Solomon-Chitty’s departure the total number of officers has increased to 29, and newer officers have gained experience, allowing the department to assign the two veterans to the gang and drug team.

The department has not announced plans to expand the team and says it will reassess its effectiveness this summer.

Paso Robles Mayor Duane Picanco said he is aware that the city has a gang and drug problem, but is not sure whether there is enough money to hire additional officers.

“We’re being very cautious for reinstating positions,” Picanco said. “Our economy is still fragile.”

 


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CCN, does this mean drug activity calls are no longer on the PRIORTY THREE”, “Crimes with no Significant Threat” list?


Have drug activity calls been moved up in priority now?


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I love SLO County…so don’t take this the wrong way.

But you guys have no idea what the Mexican/Hispanic gangbangers

can do to a community. If you only knew what they have done to

area’s in Ventura County, (where I am from). Oxnard, Piru, Ventura,

ThousandOaks, Camarillo, etc. Please take action before it’s too late.


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Hang a tortilla on your antenna then start driving North until someone asks you, “What is that?”. That’s where you wanna live.

By the way, been to Carpinteria lately? You possibly could stop lead on upper State St. now.


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“We’re being very cautious for reinstating positions,” Picanco said. “Our economy is still fragile.”


That’s true, Mr. Mayor. Too bad we couldn’t use some of that quarter of a million dollar payout that you and your colleagues approved for Lisa Chitty’s embarrassing departure. Financially, she’s set up for life (payout + pension) while Paso residents still have no Centennial Pool, crappy roads, overgrown city walkways/landscaping, and not enough cops.


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Oh…and a year later…STILL no permanent police chief!


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Keep in mind the City pays the Main Street Association and Wine Country Alliance combined over $100,000 a year for promoting tourism to PR. You’d think the City would utilize this money toward safety of those who pay taxes…


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When will people pick up on the obvious? We are being crushed between the Banksters above and the Gangsters below. Both being more loyal to other countries of family origin. Any guesses?


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newly created USA cartels are propagating ??? huh,

what are you talking about Jack L ? USA cartels sells what? where?


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This was 2009. Today you might double down on the infestation numbers


http://www.npr.org/news/graphics/2009/mar/mexico_cartel/


We shoud stop calling them ‘Mexican’ becasue now many lived here, full time.


http://articles.philly.com/2013-04-02/news/38221433_1_cartels-drug-suppliers-u-s-border


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Great news. If this problem is growing then now is definitely the time to take aggressive action. Once these punks realize that criminal activities are not going to be accepted hopefully they will pack up and move on. Problem is with the overcrowding in our jails, and California releasing prisoners there seems to be no consequences for these punks. We are fortunate to live in such an amazingly beautiful area, with our economy depending greatly on tourism. It is important to keep it safe not only for our own well being, but for our visitors too.


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Sad part is most law enforcement agencies know who they are from prior contacts with the law. I say we have a 48 hours society cleansing session, forget deer season this year.


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I still witness drug transactions in my office parking lot. This new task force can start there.


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Danika… Have read this from You before. You reported this to the police….. and they did nothing about it ? Maybe We all should send copies of this story… and the comments to Our City Council members…. and ask what the hell ig going on, other than just conversation ? Thanks Danika !


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Mount a camera and put it on youtube !


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So tiresome. So HAVE you called the police when you see this happen? If you do not then you are also part of the problem. By doing nothing you are tacitly approving of what is going on. As a citizen, I would think you would consider it your duty to call this in every time you see it. Instead you sit in your office and blog that you saw another one? Why not call the cops instead of complaining. And do not tell me that you do call and they do not arrive because that would not be true now, would it?


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The times we find ourselves in…… having too deal with a fast growing and mutating state of gang violence. I fear we will be overran by organizations that are lethal. The cartels and newly created USA cartels are propagating like a virus gone wild. Be safe, do good work.


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