In Santa Ana, the Calm After Police Storm In

It’s 8 p.m. Friday night in what is considered one of Santa Ana’s most crime-ridden areas. Normally, this is “crime time,” when the reports of shootings and robberies and drug deals begin filtering into the Police Department and to officer Brett Nelson’s squad car.

But three days after a huge police and FBI raid of this west Santa Ana neighborhood nabbed scores of alleged criminals, the streets are remarkably quiet.

“This is usually ground zero,” said Nelson, pointing his spotlight at an empty graffiti-scarred front yard where members of the Santa Nita gang have long gathered.

“There hasn’t been a lot of action since the sweep here. The SN [graffiti tag] is still there, but nobody’s around,” he said.

The previous Friday, police responded to two stabbings and a report of shots fired in the area, and Nelson saw gang members at many of their favorite haunts. But this night, there were no gang-related incidents and Nelson encountered only one Santa Nita gang member, a parolee who was stopped in a car with a broken taillight.

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But even though the gang presence has largely disappeared from the parks, street corners and alleys, residents and police are reluctant to claim victory.

Police said the slower-than-usual Friday night shift was a good sign but only a first step. And many residents remain doubtful that the raid has truly derailed the 300-member strong Santa Nita gang, which has dominated the area since the 1940s.

“The sweep is a good thing for all the people that live around here,” said one 23-year-old resident, who like many declined to give his name for fear of retaliation. Still, he remains skeptical that a criminal element with such deep roots will die off so easily.

“You can leave,” he said to a reporter. “I still have to live here.”

Officer Nelson is somewhat more optimistic. He spends much of his time patrolling gang hangouts in the west Santa Ana neighborhood, a one-square-mile area of mostly single-family residences, strip malls and pot-holed alleyways on the banks of the Santa Ana River.

“I believe that the sweep itself, whether it has lasting affect, will depend on how well we follow up the cases and if we receive the community’s backing,” he said. “I’m confident that the community will assist us in breaking down barriers.”

On Wednesday, police and FBI agents swooped down on the neighborhood after securing indictments against more than 100 suspected drug and weapons dealers. Authorities broke up two car-theft rings, confiscated 19 semiautomatic weapons and arrested more than 60 gang members.

Nelson, a burly 29-year-old who has patrolled the area for about a year, had trouble finding any sign of gang life Friday night. Turning off his headlights to avoid detection, he angled his patrol car around narrow alleyways and darkened street corners. Near the river, he aimed his spotlight beam.

He said police have traditionally experienced difficulty cracking down on the gang because it’s been a part of the community fiber--and family life--for generations. On the street, Nelson said he often breaks up groups of gang members and checks them for outstanding warrants or probation violations.

But on Friday, Willowick Municipal Golf Course, a long-favored escape route for suspects fleeing police, was empty. So were the handball courts at Campesino Park, another hangout. And no one was crowding the alley across the street from the Atlas mini-mart on 5th Street.

Alfred Miranda, the store’s cashier, said sales were up Friday night, possibly because residents were more likely to walk to his store.

“It feels safer,” he said.

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A 23-year-old resident said he breathed easier Friday when visiting the home of his girlfriend, where the owner had erected a 6-foot fence to protect his daughters.

“It’s not dangerous since you guys did that sweep,” he told Nelson.

What the area needs most, say some, is a greater police presence--especially to prevent another street gang from filling the vacuum and moving into west Santa Ana.

“The police need to be stronger,” said a 17-year-old resident. “I think the sweep won’t be successful because they didn’t get enough of those [gang members],” he said.

While most residents welcome a stronger police presence, some worry it could strain relations. In 1998, an officer killed an unarmed car-theft suspect on North Laurel Street.

The incident prompted protests, though the Orange County Grand Jury declined to charge the police officer with any crime. Santa Ana recently paid Jose Campos’ family $205,000 to settle a civil lawsuit it filed against the city.

“They have to be careful not to abuse their power,” one resident said of police.

Officers say relations with residents will continue to improve as they focus now on community building projects that they hope will prevent gang members from regaining a grip on the neighborhood.

They hope to duplicate the success of a 1994 sweep that cut crime downtown.

“I think the shakedown for the time being has worked,” said Corporal Kevin Ruiz, a gang investigator. “It is having the desired effect. They realize what has happened to their fellow homeboys.”