Surge in Gang Crime Prompts LAPD to Set Up Special Unit
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Responding to a surge in local gang-related crime, city officials have added a new unit of specialized officers to the Los Angeles Police Department’s Pacific Area station.
Earlier this month, gang officers and prosecutors began working out of the station on Culver Boulevard with the sole assignment of apprehending and prosecuting gang members, said Lt. John Fletcher, the unit’s supervisor.
The group, known as CLEAR, or Community Law Enforcement and Recovery, is staffed by members of the LAPD, county Sheriff’s Department, county Probation Department, the district attorney’s office and city attorney’s office.
Law enforcement officials say the unit will be more efficient than existing gang units because it joins the forces of investigators, prosecutors and probation officials.
Fletcher said the group will depend heavily on information from residents, who may give information anonymously.
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