Ganging Up
Conference on gangs draws 350 cops to CSUMB.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Law enforcement officers from all over the state gathered at CSUMB's University Center on Oct. 12-13 to trade tips and learn new skills for confronting street gangs.
The Monterey County Joint Gang Task Force sponsored the free event for 350 officers. Conference workshops taught attendees best practices for testifying in court and staying safe while working the gang beat.
"What makes a good gang cop is time and experience and training like this," says Cmdr. Robert Eggers, who serves on the county task force.
Since the county task force was founded five years ago, it has sponsored a donation-supported conference each year. But about a month ago, Eggers says, organizers were on the verge of canceling the event when they learned their venue, the Sherwood Hall Community Center, was raising its fee. Eggers says CSUMB's newly named Police Chief, Earl Lawson, arranged for the event to be held on campus at the last minute.
"If it werent for him, this wouldn't have happened," says Eggers. "We plan to be back next year."
The Monterey County Joint Gang Task Force was founded in 2004 as a collaboration between the Salinas Police Department, the Sheriff's Office, Probation, the District Attorney and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's Special Services Unit.
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