Don Pierce, Executive Director of the Washington State Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs was among those at a meeting of the House Emergency Preparedness Committee on Friday. He spoke powerfully about the need to address gang violence:
"If you come from an area that has a little or no gang problem, doing something about gangs is somewhere on your list of priorities in the top five, maybe the top ten. But if you travel like I have this past summer and have gone to the areas of the state that are, in some places, nearly under siege, there is no list of things that need to be done. There is one thing that needs to be done to protect communities, and that’s to do something about the gang problem."
TVW has posted video of the work session. The gang discussion begins about 35 minutes into the video. You'll see AGO Policy Director Chris Johnson and Assistant Attorney General Todd Bowers, who've played leading roles in developing the legislation. Thank you to Phil Sorensen, Assistant Chief Deputy Pierce County Prosecutor and Ed Radder, Sunnyside Chief of Police, for taking the time to speak in favor of the legislation.
-Dan Sytman-