Homicides drop by half in Fresno as cops crack down on gangs

Homicides in Fresno have dropped by half compared to a year ago due to a crackdown on gangs, Fresno police chief Jerry Dyer said Tuesday.

There have been 12 homicides this year in Fresno compared to 24 last year to date, Dyer said.

But Fresno would be a safer place to live if the state would stop reducing the number of people in prisons, U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott said at a joint news conference in Fresno with Dyer and Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp.

"There's a great big 800-pound gorilla in the room," Scott said.

A "vast watering-down … has taken place in the criminal laws of California over the last several years to the point where many people who should be in state prison are now sitting in (Fresno County) Sheriff (Margaret) Mims' jail, and many people who should be sitting in Sheriff Mim's jail should be out on the street," Scott said. "And what we saw was this massive uptick in shooting and violent crime here in Fresno in 2017."

Homicides in Fresno, many of them gang-related, jumped from 15 in 2016 to 30 last year, Dyer said. Police set a goal of reducing both homicides and shootings in the city by 20 percent.

The crackdown on gangs is working because gang shootings are down by 32 percent compared to last year at this time, he said.

Additionally, "we're taking a lot of guns off the streets. … Our officers are seizing more than 100 guns a a month from criminals in our city," Dyer said. So far this year, police have seized 600 firearms in Fresno, he said.

Dyer spoke to reporters as two dozen guns and rifles seized by police lay on a table in front of him.

Local, state and federal agents just finished a three-week crackdown on gangs in April. The operation resulted in 81 felony arrests, of which 38 were gang members, and more than 30 firearms seized, Dyer said. Police acted on five Crimestoppers tips, he said.

"I believe it was a very successful operation," Dyer said. "The ultimate impact is saving lives."

In one case, police seized a .22-caliber rifle from a gang member who was carrying it in a backpack during a dispute with a rival gang that was spinning out of control. The rifle had been chopped down to about 14 inches, Dyer said.

"We believe without a doubt that our officers interrupted a shooting that was getting ready to occur," Dyer said.

In another case, police found a firearm worth $30,000 that had been stolen in Fairfax.

Guns are tools used by gang members for human trafficking, burglaries, robberies, domestic violence and murder, said Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp.

"We've had babies in this community hat are killed by guns," she said. "We've had innocent teenagers killed by these guns. These guns don't kill once and then go away. They kill mulitple times."

Participating agencies included the Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium, Department of Homeland Security Investigations, federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Sheriff's Department, District Attorney's Office and U.S. Attorney's Office.

This story was originally published May 1, 2018 at 1:37 PM with the headline "Homicides drop by half in Fresno as cops crack down on gangs."