CPD combats gang activity
The Cut Throat arrests were a start in gang reduction.
Published Sept. 4, 2009
In February, 16 members of Columbia's Cut Throat gang were federally indicted on charges of drug trafficking conspiracies, drive by shootings and illegal possession of firearms, a Columbia Police Department news release stated.
It is still too soon to know if these arrests will result in a marked decrease of gang violence in the city, CPD spokeswoman Jessie Haden said.
"Those arrests were the result of a long term investigation," Haden said. "There are so many factors that it would just be too narrow a view to say that (decreases) were due to any one set of arrests."
Haden also said CPD encourages citizens to be aware that though the Cut Throat arrests are a step in the right direction, there is still gang activity to be watched for within the community.
"The arrests were a big deal, but there are still other people out there operating that we've got to keep our eyes on too," she said.
Although some have been dismantled by CPD, gangs are still present on the streets, Haden said.
"They come and go but it would be fair to say there are always a handful," she said.
According to the CPD's official Web site, police work to combat area gangs largely thanks to the recently developed Street Crimes Unit.
"We can kind of move crime around," Haden said. "That's where the Street Crimes Unit is really helpful, in moving that crime from place to place and eventually out of Columbia."
The Street Crimes Unit was created in July 2008. CPD's Web site lists one of their main goals as "identifying and arresting individuals who are engaged in criminal gang activity."
CPD defines criminal gang activity as a group of people committing some type of organized crime in an organized fashion, Haden said.
Through the addition of the new Street Crimes Unit and with experience gained from the recent Cut Throat arrests, CPD continues to work within the community to keep cutting down on organized crime.