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Recently this newspaper carried a story about gangs. Greeley and its gang issues were featured prominently in that story. Inasmuch as every city in Colorado beyond the tiniest has at least some gang presence, I wanted to provide some additional facts about Greeley’s experience.
Some years back Greeley residents decided they did not like the rising number of crimes committed by gangsters occurring in their city. In response, the police department bolstered the size of its gang unit. (The team is considered to be one of the most knowledgeable and effective in the state.) The city’s recreation leaders developed additional alternatives for kids headed towards a gang life. The local newspaper highlighted the gang issue. City Council added police officers to the streets.
Beginning in 2006, the police department focused on gang intervention as the cops’ primary goal for the year. That goal has continued into 2007. All officers, not just the gang unit, were tasked with locking up violent gang offenders. The Weld County District Attorney’s Office obtained lengthy sentences for a number of dangerous gangsters, and continues to do so.
As a consequence, gang violence in Greeley has steadily declined for the last three years. In 2004, 44 incidents of gang violence were counted in Greeley. The figure dropped to 33 in 2005 and 17 in 2006. We still have some gangsters, but what we are doing is working, and we are going to keep up the effort.
Greeley is a great city with a lot of really nice people. It is also a city that, like every other, has crooks who, given the chance, are willing to victimize others. Some of these criminals happen to call themselves gang members. But to portray the city as gang-infested or unsafe would be erroneous. Greeley is a great place to be, and we intend to keep it that way. We are working to make the city even safer in the future.
We are doing very well, thank you. But work remains to be done, and we are pledged to accomplish it.

Jerry Garner
Chief of police
Greeley Police Department

This letter has not been edited.