Redlands Police Scrutinize Emerging Trends at Inland Empire Gang Workshop

Members of the Redlands police Multiple Enforcement Team joined more than 300 other law enforcement personnel Thursday for the first day of an Inland Empire Gang Workshop in San Bernardino.

"From this conference here, we're looking at any new emerging gang trends, any new emerging gang activity that's going on, any new activity within the Mexican Mafia, and how that's impacting street level crime," Redlands police Sgt. Mike Reiss said Thursday morning. "And the collaboration between our local gang teams that we work with.

"We're trying to get all of that out of the training," Reiss said. "The collaboration with all the people here, plus what the instructors are bringing to the table."

Reiss and other Multiple Enforcement Team members estimated there are more than 400 documented gang members in the Redlands area.

In March, four suspected gang members in Redlands were arrested and accused in the January 2011 shooting deaths of Quinn McCaleb, 17, and Andrew Jackson, 16. Two others were wounded in the shooting, which occurred on a playground near the end of a cul-de-sac in the 900 block of Oxford Drive.

The Inland Empire Gang Workshop is being coordinated by the International Latino Gang Investigators Association and the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office. It's being held at the Hilton San Bernardino on Hospitality Lane, and each officer is paying $50 to $60 a day for admission.

Organizers urged all full-time and reserve police officers, correctional and probation officers, parole agents, detectives, federal agents, analysts, and other sworn law enforcement personnel to attend.

The agenda for Thursday included topics such as "Intelligence Update /White Extremists," "Gangs and Wire Taps," and "Drug Cartels and Southwest Border Violence."

The workshop continues Friday in San Bernardino. Conference coordinators are Todd De Palma, Senobio Gomez, Melvin Milton and Geff Trescott.