SIGHTS BEING SET ON GANGS VIA LAWSUITS

Williams Signs On: Sheriff Candidate Backs Effort to Sue Members In Court

The Republican candidate for Kane County sheriff on Tuesday threw his
support behind an initiative to seize gang members' assets in civil court.

"By seizing the assets of gang members we will be able to eliminate
their ability to operate in Kane County," said Kevin Williams,
flanked by top law enforcement officials at a press conference
Tuesday at The Centre of Elgin. "As Kane County sheriff, I will make
it explicitly clear that gangs are not welcomed in our community."

State's Attorney John Barsanti said he would work with Williams and
plans to file civil lawsuits against gangs, following the example
set by DuPage County State's Attorney Joseph Birkett. Birkett, a
candidate for lieutenant governor, is the running mate of fellow
Republican and gubernatorial candidate Judy Barr Topinka.

The two prosecutors promised to work together to civilly prosecute gangs.

The press conference echoed one held in March 2005 during Aurora's
mayoral race, when both Barsanti and Birkett appeared at a press
conference for Richard Irvin.

This time, it was Williams' turn to champion the initiative.

"Criminal street gangs are highly structured organizations who
support themselves through the sale of illegal drugs and settle
disputes with rivals using firearms and other forms of violence,"
Williams said. "We need to dismantle these street gangs from both
the top and the bottom with a combination of legislation, criminal
enforcement and community outreach."

Williams' opponent, Kane County sheriff's Sgt. Pat Perez could not
be reached for comment.

FIRST SUCH SUIT FILED IN 1999

DuPage County filed the first lawsuit of its kind in 1999 against a
West Chicago street gang, the Satan Disciples, using a 1993 statute,
the Illinois Street gang Terrorism Omnibus Prevention Act, said
Birkett, who appeared alongside Williams, Barsanti, West Chicago
Mayor Michael Fortner and state Rep. Ruth Munson, R-Elgin.

Under that law, gang members could be ordered to pay damages to law
enforcement agencies, can be ordered not to associate with other
gang members or have their property seized.

Despite a legal challenge, the lawsuit was upheld in subsequent
appeals. Most recently, Birkett's office filed a lawsuit against the
Latin Kings.

The lawsuits send a message to innocent citizens that law
enforcement and prosecutors are behind them, Birkett said. He said
he is sick and tired of reading headlines about gang crimes and
prosecuting cases where innocent people are slaughtered.

Fortner said the lawsuits have been very effective in West Chicago,
crediting them with helping to reduce gang crimes. It is essential
that municipalities, police and residents partner together to create
a safer place to live, he said.

Gathering gang intelligence is a key part of that effort, he said.

STIFFER PENALTIES DESIRED

Legislatively, Birkett would like to see fines for gang members
increase. Taxpayers should not have to bear the cost of fighting
gang crime, he said.

"We need to make the felons pay the cost of cleaning up their waste," he said.

Williams said his idea to launch the Gang Intelligence and Narcotics
Tracking program would help further the effort. Called GIANT, the
database would collect and store intelligence on gang-related crimes
using the collective power of federal, state, county and local law
enforcement agencies to identity and locate suspects or offenders, he said.

"The sharing of real-time information is the key to effective gang
and drug violence suppression," he said. "The goal is to make
arrests, get longer sentences and deter others from joining gangs in
the first place."