Saturday, August 2, 2008

DA initiates program to weed out crime and seed social services

Clara Garcia News-Bulletin Staff Writer; cgarcia@news-bulletin.com

Meadow Lake In an effort to alleviate the crime problem in Meadow Lake, the 13th Judicial District Attorney's office is working with the community in preparing a federal grant that would help fund possible solutions.

Weed and Seed is a community-based grant program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice. The program aims to prevent, control, and reduce violent crime, drug abuse, and gang activity in designated high-crime neighborhoods across the country.

District Attorney Lemuel Martinez said his office is currently working on planning and writing the grant, which is worth $1 million awarded over five years. While Meadow Lake would be competing for the grant with communities from around the country, Martinez believes that it would make a big difference in Valencia County.

"Fifty percent of the grant would be for law enforcement and the other 50 percent would go toward community-based programs," Martinez said. "We're hoping this program could make a major impact on the area."

Weed and Seed allows for law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to cooperate in "weeding out" violent criminals and drug abusers and public agencies and community-based private organizations to collaborate to "seed" much-needed human services, including prevention, intervention and treatment.

Martinez said if the area does receive the grant, he's hoping that the program will be able to pay for at least two law enforcement officers to be assigned to the area full time. He said constant police presence in the area would be a first step in identifying and reducing crime in the Meadow Lake, El Cerro and Monterey Park area.

"I want them (law enforcement) to get to know the people who live out there as well as the criminal element," Martinez said. "If we can focus more on those areas, we'll be able to gather more intelligence and information about who we need to target. We hope to have a major impact on the drug and gang activity."

Along with applying for the Weed and Seed grant, the district attorney's office is also submitting an application for a $140,000 Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant. The grant would help pay for an assistant district attorney to work full time with law enforcement in the Meadow Lake area.

"We at the (district attorney's) office are also committed to getting to know the public and their needs," Martinez said. "We've been talking with the community and trying to learn exactly what their needs are."

Getting the community involved in the program is a vital step toward not only receiving the grant, but also making it a success. The district attorney's office has already met with numerous Meadow Lake residents and has set up another community meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 5, at the Meadow Lake Community Center.

Meadow Lake resident Sonja Montoya has been an active member of the community for several years and says she hopes that the Weed and Seed program will make a difference in the lives of people who live there. She said with the low number of deputies and state police officers assigned to the county, it's been hard for law enforcement to properly patrol the area.

"I see a need, and a lot of people were looking for a neighborhood watch program," Montoya said. "The Weed and Seed program improves the quality of life, and I think it would really make a difference here."

Montoya said residents of Meadow Lake are very excited and interested in becoming involved in the project and have voiced their concerns about the crime issues in their community. She said about 45 people attended the first community meeting and she is hoping for even more people on Tuesday.

"They (district attorney's office) are organizing it, and they have been very determined to get the program going here," Montoya said. "They are pretty excited about the program and thought there is a great need for it here — and we do too."

Montoya explained that many of her fellow residents, including herself, have grown tired of the criminal element in their community and are ready to take a stand and find solutions. She said all they want is to be able to feel safe in their own homes.

She said one of the reasons she's in favor of the Weed and Seed program is that it would help law enforcement to better serve the area. Montoya explained that neighbors have told her that they've called police to report crimes, but because there are so few deputies covering the county at any one time, it's difficult for officers to respond in a timely manner.

"I have a good feeling about this program," Montoya said. "We need to do something, and hopefully this will be one solution. The Weed and Seed program involves a wide range of programs, including setting up neighborhood watches as well as teaching people about the most important aspects of crime. We think it's a really great program, and I hope that it will benefit us here."

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