El Paso County Attorney José R. Rodríguez and El Paso Police Chief Gregory Allen today announced the filing of a new gang injunction to combat gang activities in the streets of Northeast El Paso.
The Petition for the new gang injunction was filed this morning and landed in the County Court at Law # 3. The request creates 2 safety zones in Northeast El Paso, the "Triangle Safety Zone" and the "Patriot Safety Zone," and names 27 known members of the Bloods street gang.
Also this morning, the County Court at Law # 3 Judge Javier Álvarez approved a Temporary Restraining Order against the 27 members of the Bloods named in the petition. The Temporary Restraining Order activates the restrictions contained in the application for a period of 14 days after which the Court will conduct a hearing to consider granting a Temporary Injunction.
If approved permanently, the new gang injunction will not only increase punishment for defendants who commit crimes within the safety zones, but also will forbid them from carrying out other activities considered a public nuisance, such as:
- Gathering with other gang members in public view
- Entering the home or vehicle of other member of the Bloods gang
- Entering a school (unless there is a legitimate reason)
- Possessing alcoholic beverages at any time, on public property
- Possessing any weapons, including baseball bats and clubs
- Fighting anywhere within the safety zones
- Possessing aerosol paint, markers, or razor blades used for tagging
- Approaching or communicating with occupants of vehicles
- Harassing residents or bystanders
- Making unnecessary loud noise at any time of the day or night
- Using pagers, beepers, cellular phones in any public place for any purpose
- Signaling to other persons to warn of the approach of law enforcement officers
- Harboring or concealing another gang member to evade law enforcement officers
- Using gang hand signs in public
- Doing any activity outdoors between 10 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. in the safety zones
- Using abusive, profane or vulgar language in public place
- Giving false information to law enforcement officers
The "Triangle Safety Zone" starts at the intersection of Gateway North and Dyer and encompasses Gateway North on the West, Dyer on the east, and Hondo Pass on the north.
The "Patriot Safety Zone" encompasses Transmountain Drive on the South, Gateway North on the west, McCombs on the east, and Sean Haggerty on the north.
According to police records, the 27 members of the Bloods included in the petition regularly associate to commit organized criminal activity, including aggravated assaults, burglaries, robberies, weapon offenses, and drug related transactions in the designated areas. The Blood gang is responsible for over 100 criminal offenses in the last 4 years. in El Paso County.
To make this new gang injunction a reality, the County Attorney's Office worked closely together with the El Paso Police Department for more than a year to collect evidence against the 27 named defendants.
El Paso County Attorney José R. Rodríguez explained the request for a new gang injunction was filed in response to resident's complaints about increased gang activity in the area.
"This new gang injunction should send a strong message that gang criminal activity will not be tolerated in our community. By curbing gang activity in the area we are trying not only to reduce crime the same way it happened a few years back in the Segundo Barrio when we filed the first gang injunction against the Barrio Azteca. We are also trying to protect minors from being sucked into gangs and starting a path towards crime or drug addiction," County Attorney José R. Rodríguez said.
El Paso Police Chief Gregory Allen explained that this new gang injunction will give his officers more legal tools to combat the proliferation of gangs in Northeast El Paso.
"This injunction will be a great tool to help my officers combat the gang and their influence and crimes in the community," El Paso Police Chief Allen said.
According to police records, the Bloods are just one of several street gangs committing crimes in Northeast El Paso. For that reason the County Attorney's Office is already working with the El Paso Police Department to gather evidence that will be used in the upcoming months to file petitions for additional gang injunctions against members of other gangs.
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Bloods Gang Injunction Press Release.pdf
Members of the Bloods Included in the NE Gang Injunction.pdf
NE Gang Injunction Maps.pdf
How gang injunctions work.pdf
2003 Injunction Results Chart.pdf