Adding to the Arsenal in the War Against Gangs

L.A. Wins $5 Million Judgment Against Gang

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Los Angeles, plagued by 23,000 violent gang crimes since 2004, 

including 784 murders and 12,000 felony assaults, has won 

a $5 million judgment against a criminal gang that had dominated 

the heroin trade downtown for decades, says the Christian Science Monitor. 

The verdict could bode well for another first-of- its-kind lawsuit 

the city filed last month that goes after all assets of gang leaders, 

not just those associated with their criminal activity. Both suits seek 

to plow the money back into improving the neighborhoods affected by the gangs.

The suits were filed under amendments to state laws aimed 

at strengthening authorities' ability to control gangs. A 2007 amendment 

allows law enforcement to seize assets associated with criminal conduct. 

A 2008 law goes even further - it allows prosecutors to collect damages f

rom gang members' personal assets, too. "We're sending a message to 

gang leaders across this city," said City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo. 

"If you break the law, we will not only find you, arrest you, and 

put you behind bars, we will also take away your money, your property, 

your homes, and your cars. Every penny we strip away 

will be returned to the neighborhoods."

Christian Science Monitor