City Attorney had hailed SFPD Chief as key to civil gang injunctions’ success, is certain he’ll be a continuing ally as District Attorney
SAN FRANCISCO (Jan. 9, 2011) — City Attorney Dennis Herrera today praised Mayor Gavin Newsom’s appointment of Police Chief George Gascón as District Attorney to fulfill the unexpired term of Kamala Harris, who recently vacated the office to become California’s Attorney General.
Reacting to this afternoon’s announcement in City Hall, Herrera issued the following statement:
“Police Chief George Gascón is a stellar choice for District Attorney of San Francisco. I’ve repeatedly credited his leadership as key to making our civil gang injunction program a success. I couldn’t hope for a better ally to continue Kamala Harris’s record in aggressively prosecuting gang injunction cases. I know Mayor Newsom had a very tough decision to make among a number of excellent potential successors, and he has made an experienced, top-notch pick. I look forward to working closely with our new District Attorney in the months and years to come.”
Last September, Herrera’s motion for an injunction against two warring criminal street gangs in Visitacion Valley was granted by a San Francisco Superior Court judge. The new injunction against the Down Below Gangsters and Towerside Gang represented the City’s fourth civil gang injunction, involving seven different criminal street gangs. Herrera’s office has worked closely with police, to compile the exhaustive evidence necessary to obtain gang injunctions, and the District Attorney’s Office, which prosecutes violations of them. Prior to the Visitacion Valley injunction in September, Herrera had secured injunctions against the Bayview Hunters Point-based Oakdale Mob in October 2006; the Mission-based Norteño gang in 2007; and the Western Addition-based Chopper City, Eddy Rock and Knock Out Posse gangs in 2007. In 2009, Herrera moved successfully to modify the Oakdale Mob injunction to add six new adult gang members to that injunction’s provisions. In all, 134 adult gang members are currently subject to San Francisco’s four injunctions. No juveniles are named in any of San Francisco’s civil gang injunctions.