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Pulling people from gang life in Cleveland County

Star - 9/2/2018

Sept. 02--A year ago the FBI, SBI and law enforcement swooped into Cleveland County and arrested 26 men and women believed to be gang members. Now Cleveland County law enforcement and the community are asking themselves what can we do to prevent the cycle from continuing.

"Gangs are not just a local issue, but a national and transnational one as well. I believe that, with the addition of more resources, more large federal investigations and subsequent round-ups like the one done in May 2017, we can continue to successfully combat the criminal gang element in our community and show the members of those gangs that we will not accept, nor tolerate, their activities in our county," said Capt. Jon Wright with investigations division of the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office.

Several years ago local law enforcement agencies, federal agencies and community leaders banned together to try to solve recidivism of gang members in the county. They came up with the call-in program, but many law enforcement divisions think there needs to be more.

"There has to be a wide-spread, long-ranging grassroots community effort to remove the attraction of the gang lifestyle. Until that occurs, gangs will continue to be a problem in our communities," Wright said.

This is where Refit comes in, said Katie Munger with Ollie Harris Behavioral Health and a driving force behind the new project.

Re-entering life outside of gangs

The Refit program is a re-entry program that helps people who are part of gangs find means to leave that life.

"We usually see about a 75 percent recidivism rate of people being back in the court system in a year or so. We know that 25 percent won't be going back, and 25 percent will be going back no matter what. We are looking at that other 50 percent," Munger said.

To help those teetering between the gang life and leaving it, this program will offer them the means to tackle a variety of issues.

"We are going to connect them with people for workforce development, education opportunities, DSS and anything else they need," Munger said.

The program, slated to start in late 2018, focuses on making sure participants are given the tools they need to succeed but also offers them a guide through a sometimes tricky system if you don't know the ins and outs, she said.

A case manager will deal with between 20 and 25 people recommend by parole officers for the program. This person will work with them as a guide and also help them find anything they need from drug rehab to boots for a job.

Scaring them straight, hopefully

Until the Refit program kicks off, there is the call-in program that brings known and affiliated gang members who have been convicted to the table with people wanting to help and people who won't think twice about arresting them again if they break the law.

The program is two-sided. On one end, there are the community organizations that offer anything from drug treatment to Bible study. The other includes local, state and federal law enforcement telling them that the next time they may not get out anytime soon, according to Shelby Police Chief Jeff Ledford.

"For the community part, it is very laid back, but when they come into the law enforcement side, it is meant to be intimidating," Ledford said.

Many of the officers and attorneys have the same message for the parolees: "We don't want to see you again, but if we do, we will throw the book at you."

Law enforcement has seen success stories out of this program, but many will not speak in fear of retaliation from the gangs they escaped, Ledford said.

Reaching them before they join

The call-in and reentry programs are for those who have already been through the system, prevention is crucial.

"Our school resource officers work extremely hard with students to build positive relationships," Wright said.

One program used in schools is the Gang Resistance Education And Training that targets fifth-and sixth-graders, said Shelby Police Capt. Steve Seate.

"It teaches kids different life lessons and opens a line of communication with them," he said.

Law enforcement in the county also reaches out to teachers, clergy, coaches and others to find support family members in keeping their children away from the gang lifestyle, Wright said.

"It is of the utmost importance for all of us to stop children from joining gangs," he said. "Every time we arrest a gang member for some shocking act of violence, we recognize it as the loss of a young life's potential. Worse still is investigating the death of a young person who had so much potential that will never be realized."

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