May 6, 1993

GRAND JURY TO INVESTIGATE SCOPE OF GANGS IN BROWARD

PAMELA FERDINAND Herald Staff Writer

After years of escalating teenage violence in Broward, State Attorney Michael Satz has called for a grand jury investigation into youth gangs.

"The purpose is to see what the problem is and, if there's a (gang) problem, to find out . . . what can be done to curtail (it)," assistant state attorney Susan Aramony said.

No starting date has been set for the grand jury, whose 18 members will hear confidential testimony over several months
from police, parents and others.

Gang members subpoenaed by the state attorney also are expected to appear before the grand jury. Their testimony could not be used against them in court if they were ever charged with a crime, Aramony said.

Panels of grand jurors are chosen twice per year by the state attorney and the public defender to determine whether to prosecute in certain cases and to look into crime-related issues. The jurors may issue either indictments or investigative reports.

While the inquiry into gangs is still in the planning stages, it's likely to resemble that of a Dade grand jury on gangs five years ago.

In 1988, Dade grand jurors issued an 11-page report that concluded Dade's gangs had become more sophisticated, more specialized in certain crimes and more violent.

They reported that "Dade County does have a very real gang problem," with about 3,500 members in 70 groups, up from 36 gangs in 1985. That compares to recent Broward police estimates of 3,500 members in 60 gangs.

Dade grand jurors made nine recommendations, including creation of a regional computer system for sharing gang information, more after-school programs for kids and a push for community-based educational programs.

Metro-Dade Police Lt. William Bogolub called the 1988 grand jury effective in setting an anti-gang agenda. Police formed a Dade County Multi-Agency Gang Task Force and developed a "gang clearinghouse" computer system.

Still missing, however, are enough community-based programs to deal with the gang problem, Bogolub said.

"A lot of the recommendations were worthwhile, and we used them to move forward," he said. "Unfortunately, what always happens is there's never enough funds to follow through with all the ideas."

The Broward grand jury could come to similar conclusions and help to prove, once and for all, that gangs operate in Broward, said Robin Burns, president of Broward Informed Parents, an anti-gang support group.

Such evidence could shift public attention to solutions and encourage funding of alternative juvenile programs in the community and schools, she said.

"I'm not looking forward to hearing that we have the worst gang problem in South Florida, but in order to address the problem we've got to determine what it is," Burns said. "Who can doubt the credentials of a grand jury?"