Mayor: Gangs have no place in Ontario
Joe Dominick says community must get involved to thwart illegal syndicates
By Pat Caldwell
Argus Observer
Tuesday, September 9, 2008 11:45 AM PDT
ONTARIO—Ontario Mayor Joe Dominick said last week he wants to send a single, clear message to illegal gang members in the community: They are not welcome in Ontario.
“It is time to let these guys know they are not welcome. We’ve been quiet about it. Now it’s time to be vocal,” Dominick said.
Dominick said he was shocked when he first received news of a deadly, gang-related firefight Aug. 23 at the Fair View apartment complex in Ontario.
During the incident, Rudy Mata, 25, Ontario, was shot and killed. Two other men remain in jail facing murder charges in connection to the shoot out.
“My first reaction was whether all the police officers were OK,” Dominick said.
He said the shock quickly evaporated.
“Then my reaction was ‘wow.’ At the time I didn’t know if it was two rival gangs shooting at each other,” he said.
Dominick conceded Ontario faces an energetic, illegal gang dilemma.
“There is a problem,” he said.
Dominick said, just after the deadly gang gunfight, he dusted off a copy of an Ontario Police Department plan submitted in February to add more officers to the force.
“I knew the subject (gang interdiction) would come up because of the community concern,” he said.
The City Council spent most of February and March listening to input regarding a search to find more money to fund a gang officer.
Ontario Police Department Capt. Mark Alexander delivered several funding proposals to the City Council and the budget committee in February and late March.
While Dominick said the funding matrix for new police officers remained on the council’s radar screen, the elected board was also trying to focus on other, competing issues.
“We listened and said ‘thank you’ for the info because we had other priorities. It was not high on the priority list,” Dominick said.
Dominick said the situation regarding adding more police — especially one dedicated to gang interdiction — was the classic example of tradeoffs.
The mayor said, however, officials are currently reviewing the addition of a new, modest tax on city utility bills each month to provide more money for public safety.
And, last week, the City Council approved a proposal to fund an OPD patrolman slot. The elected board approved a plan to use $80,000 from interest earnings on cash reserves and increased motel occupancy tax receipts to fund the patrolman slot.
The new patrolman position will free up an officer to focus exclusively on gangs in Ontario.
“We are extremely happy with that because we will be able to have a full-time person dedicated to working that (gangs) now,” Alexander said.
Dominick said it is time for Ontario to fight back against the growing gang problem.
“We need to be proactive. Get that graffiti off in 24 hours, report what you see. It is time to let these guys know they are not welcome,” he said.
The Fair View apartment complex shoot out, while tragic, also was a wake-up call, Dominick said.
“It’s a shocker. But it also made the community, as a whole, realize that this is the time for a change,” he said. “I’m ready to take the town back.”
Alexander said the illegal gang problem is entrenched in Malheur County.
“It is incredible how organized they are and their numbers,” he said.
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Enough wrote on Sep 23, 2008 6:31 PM:
Next you'll be saying by saving the pool and the library and adding or keeping other programs, the cities "Banger" problem will be a thing of the past, as if "bangers" use these facilities.....
Face facts, alot of the problem, Do-gooder bleeding hearts that have the world walking on egg shells, worrying about being politically correct, theres no time to face real issues. "