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Dealing with gang shootings, drugs and reckless driving, Heritage District residents seek safer conditions in their community

Lodi News-Sentinel - 2/18/2022

Feb. 18—Lodi Police Department Capt. David Griffin assured residents Wednesday night that his staff is dedicated to eliminating the increasing gang incidents that threaten the safety of residents in the Heritage District.

"We have extra patrols out all the time," he said. "Our special enforcement team is constantly out. We tell them to concentrate on nothing but gang enforcement. That's what they're doing right now."

Griffin's assurance came after two Heritage District residents addressed the Lodi City Council during public comment, asking for a solution to the number of shootings, drug overdoses and speeding vehicles that are plaguing the area on a daily basis.

Michelle Hartman, a resident of the 400 block of East Pine, said she and her neighbors are living in fear, "smack dab in the middle of a gang war," with six shootings occurring over the course of eight days in early February.

Hartman played audio from a Feb. 8 shooting on Central Avenue recorded by a neighbor's security system, and was only able to describe the incident as scary.

"This is not some out of the blue thing," she said. "This is something we deal with on a weekly basis, a daily basis. Last Thursday night we had a shooting at a place at Garfield and Pine (streets), owned by nice people who rent to not-so-nice people who are gang members. No one was hit, Thursday night. Come Friday night, an innocent bystander was shot in the hand and the face."

Yadina Pena said while the shootings were increasing, she asked the city to do something about reckless drivers and speeders around Heritage Elementary School.

Pena has taken it upon herself since August to act as a crossing guard at unmarked intersections around the campus, particularly at Tokay and Garfield streets.

She has been wearing dinosaur and cow costumes, along with a bright green vest, to make sure drivers see her before they speed through the neighborhood.

"We don't have fancy speed bumps, we don't have many crossing guards," Pena said. "I had to dress in a cow costume so I can get vehicles to stop for kids. And even in the cow costume, with a handmade stop sign and a vest, I still almost get run over."

Pena said she has also tried to help students cross the street at Lodi Middle School, and was nearly run over four separate times.

She added she has contacted school principals, but is constantly told there is no funding.

"I want my kids' school to be a safe zone," she said. "I've only seen two signs that say 'school zone ahead.' I've gone to other schools, and they have the nice fancy bumps we don't have. We're right in the middle of the war zone. Gangs. School on lockdown throughout the day. It's just gotten out of control."

In response, Lodi City Manager Steve Schwabauer said the city has not installed any speed bumps on any streets, but there are some in school parking lots.

He added while crossing guards are not employed by the city, but Lodi Unified School District, the public works department is currently undertaking its latest Safe Routes to School project that will improve several curbs around Heritage Elementary, as well as install sidewalks on blocks that presently have none.

The $900,000 project is expected to begin sometime this year.

Addressing the gun violence concerns, Schwabauer told residents that staff and the council are aware of the increasing problem, and that he has been meeting with the police department to discuss strategies to combat the issue.

"Unfortunately, I know it would be a lot more comforting to hear what they're doing, but that wouldn't be productive to their ability to succeed," he said. "But I assure you that there will be some significant work done to control and stop that gun violence, and that (the police department) are actively pursuing it. Our police chief is 100% committed to that."

Councilman Alan Nakanishi said the city and police have been addressing violence in the Heritage District for several years, and noted police have continually and successfully applied for California's Gang Reduction Intervention and Prevention grants to combat gangs.

"One of the things (residents) may not know is that we've spent a lot of time on gangs," he said. "What's happened is the grant funding has decreased. We spent a lot of time on the east side over the last 20 years."

Griffin said gang crime in Lodi over the last year has been the lowest in more than two decades, but the department has been seeing an uptick as of late.

He added that the department does not release information about what it's doing to stop the violence, because it does not want to "tip its hand."

The department will not stop combating gang violence until it is removed from the city, he said.

"We're having an influx of gang members from Stockton," Griffin said. "So we're coordinating with Stockton PD as well to gather intelligence and information to be more successful in defeating them when they're here in Lodi committing crimes."

Griffin added that the department's two motorcycle officers have been trying to address traffic issues at Lodi and Tokay high schools, and that they rotate to other campuses to ensure each school received an equal amount of enforcement.

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(c)2022 the Lodi News-Sentinel (Lodi, Calif.)

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