HANDS OFF?

Cops Deny Strategy Is To Let Gangs Take Care Of Themselves

The killing of alleged drug thug Long Duy "Crazy Jimmy" Hoang has
Edmonton's Asian drug gangs fearing a renewed police crackdown on gang
activity, says a Sunday Sun source.

The source, an acquaintance of Hoang's, said the gangs believed prior to
Wednesday's shootout police were content to let warring gang members fight
it out for control of Edmonton's cocaine trade.

"The word on the street was the cops were letting (gang members) kill each
other," said the source, adding the gangs had been maintaining lower
profiles in the wake of last summer's gang violence that spilled blood on
city streets.

"(Gang members) were saying, 'Let's ease off.' Now they know, (the cops)
aren't going to stop at anything."

Edmonton Police Service spokesman Sgt. Bryan Boulanger heatedly denied
yesterday the service took a hands-off approach to the drug gang problem in
recent months.

"That's the most ridiculous statement I've ever heard about this," he said.

"During the past (four months) we have been working the gang problem with
the same vigour as prior to (August's violence). The gang activity
suppression team put heat on the street, and (gang activity) died down.

"We weren't just sitting back letting them shoot each other."

Hoang, 28, died in hospital Friday from gunshot wounds sustained in
Wednesday night's shootout with police.

Police say Hoang and passenger Hoa Tran, 26, fled from police in a
high-speed auto chase that ended when their car slammed into a parked Jeep
at 148 Street and 89 Avenue.

Police also say Hoang, ignoring orders to surrender, opened fire at the six
tactical team officers with a semi-automatic pistol. Three of the officers
fired back; at least one slug caught Hoang in the head.

Both Hoang and Hoa Tran have been identified by cops as known Asian
criminal gang members.

The EPS gang suppression unit was set up following two violent 1999
gang-related episodes. The first was the Aug. 19 drive-by gun slaying of
18-year-old Hai Van Tran, 18.

The second was the late-August discovery of 19-year-old Stephen William
Johnson's bullet riddled body in an open field west of the city. Police
said both men had links to Edmonton's gang underworld.

The gang suppression unit was disbanded recently - due to budget pressures,
said Boulanger.

"The loss of that unit does not mean the EPS is turning the streets back
over to the gangs," he said.

"We still have two detectives in the Serious Offences Section. We've got
the Drug Control Unit. We've got four detectives in the Integrated
Intelligence Section with the RCMP."