Feds Admit Gang Arrest Figures in Spokane Were Inflated

Source from:  The Associated Press October 15, 2007 SPOKANE, Wash. 10/16/2007

It was big news when local law-enforcement officers, led by federal agents in a coordinated sweep, said they arrested 77 violent gang members and their associates here. A Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives news release crowed about the arrests and the large amount of police manpower used. Then The Spokesman-Review newspaper followed up with local police and sheriff's records to report that those arrest numbers announced Oct. 1 were greatly inflated. The raids over three days resulted in just 35 arrests, and some of those jailed were not gang members, the newspaper reported. Only one gun was seized. Officials with the ATF blamed miscommunications between local and federal law enforcement agencies for the news release that referred to 77 arrests. The arrests ranged from a warrant for a 17-year-old without a valid driver's license to a 34-year-old man wanted for first-degree robbery. Some were jailed for probation violations. Other charges included possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, misdemeanor assault and driving with a suspended license. A call for comment to Steve Lowhurst, Spokane special agent in charge for the ATF, was referred to Nick Starcevic, the Seattle ATF spokesman who wrote the Oct. 1 press release. Starcevic was not in the office Monday and did not return a call for comment. The ATF led the three-day operation and paid the overtime for Spokane police officers and sheriff's deputies who participated. Several other federal agencies were involved, as well as the state Department of Corrections. While local agencies sent information about arrests to the ATF, no one kept a tally of who was arrested and why, officials admitted. When media initially inquired about the details, they were told none were unavailable. The size of Spokane's gang problem is disputed. Police say there are 900 confirmed gang members and nearly 7,000 gang "associates." Enditem