Coastside Neighborhood Response Team Having Immediate Results in Half Moon Bay

The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office special gang suppression unit has made more than 120 validations of gang members within three months of operation along the Coastside.

HALF MOON BAY, CA – Since the beginning of March 2012, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office Coastside Neighborhood Response Team (CNRT) has been actively monitoring and verifying local gang activities in Half Moon Bay and the greater Coastside area. The purpose is to assist the Sheriff’s Office Patrol and Investigations Division in criminal investigations involving gang members and reduce the number of gang related incidents.

Within this brief timeframe, the CNRT has obtained more than 120 gang validations and over 75 documented gang affiliations. The validations reflect the number of individuals that meet the state’s rigorous standards for gang identification, which include such criteria as self-admission to being a gang member, possessing identifiable gang-related symbols, being implicated by a reliable source and having a connection with known gang members. The documented affiliations represent individuals who have been interviewed by the CNRT but do not yet meet the minimum criteria.

Individuals who have been previously validated per the state’s requirements are subject to more severe charges in criminal cases brought against them. The additional “gang enhancement” charge can add significant penalties to a criminal’s sentence and probation requirements, which create a strong deterrent for individuals who have been previously validated.

“The immediate success of the CNRT is primarily due to the excellent police work of experienced Sheriff Deputies who possess an in-depth knowledge of the communities within the Coastside,” stated San Mateo County Sheriff Greg Munks. “By proactively identifying these gang members, we are taking an important step in combatting gangs as we add serious penalties to the crimes they commit.”

Since taking over law enforcement services in the City of Half Moon Bay in 2011, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Department has recognized the need for increased gang suppression along the Coastside. In response, the Sheriff’s Department has allocated significant resources to the CNRT without any additional cost to the City of Half Moon Bay.  The CNRT works with a countywide Gang Task Force that implements a zero tolerance enforcement policy for gang activity and criminal behavior.

###

Contact: Ross Guehring (415) 250-2785