THE PEEL SOLUTION

Zero Tolerance For Gangs And Cutting-Edge Methods

Toyan Adrian "Twing" Johnson is the poster child of the Peel police gang unit.

The suspected Crips street-gang member has managed to elude capture
since a brutal, execution-style slaying on Christmas Eve.

But his time on the run could be short-lived now that he's on the
radar screen of Det. Tony Melaragni and Const. Dirk Niles.

Melaragni and Niles form the backbone of the gang squad, whose
officers have been tracking Johnson and hundreds of others.

They have identified 860 gang members and 430 associates who belong
to more than 80 gangs plaguing the region.

Many of the gangs are small; membership ranges from 12 to more than
80. The Bloods, Crips and some West Indian and South Asian gangs are
among the 12 to 15 larger groups committing most of the crime in the
region, police say.

"Crips outnumber Bloods three to one in Peel," Niles says. "There are
no top bosses and the gangs are very loose."

Some 450 mugshots of the "most prolific" members -- along with their
gangs, street names, convictions, identifying features and other
information -- are displayed on posters that are circulated to police
stations for use by front-line officers.

"These are our most prolific hard-core gang members," Melaragni says
of the photos. "The number rises every year."

The poster couldn't be reproduced by the Sun because it contained
confidential police information. Similarly, Melaragni and Niles,
Superior Court-recognized experts on the Blood and Crips, couldn't be
photographed because of the sensitivity of their work.

The poster names malls, stores and restaurants where gangs
congregate. It shows the latest gang tattoos and hand signs, and
reminds cops that red bandanas and five-point crown tattoos are worn
by the Bloods, while blue bandanas and three-point crowns ID Crips. A
tattoo with a gun can signify a revenge killing.

"All our front-line cops are trained and educated in gang members,"
Melaragni says. "They receive ongoing training."

As a result, officers are never far away from a list of a top 25 of
the worst gangsters who require urgent investigation.

Peel cops go after the thugs by having them designated as "gang
members," so they'll face stiffer sentences in court. The suspects
and their affiliations are filed in a police database for all cops to see.

"We have to continue to maintain our vigilance," Melaragni says. "The
gang problem is growing at an alarming rate."

Last year, there were nine homicides in Peel, of which three were gang-related.

Newly appointed Police Chief Michael Metcalf has a message for gang
members: Stay out of Peel.

"We have zero tolerance in Peel for gangs," Metcalf stresses. "We are
tackling the gang problem before it gets worse."

One of his first tasks after being named to the top job last month
was to add more cops and resources to the gang unit.

Crown attorney Mark Saltmarsh and a team of specialized lawyers
handle gun and gang cases along with the presentation of evidence at
bail hearings, resulting in 90% of gang members being detained, the chief says.

"We are concerned about the safety of our community," Metcalf says,
adding three years ago there were 36 gangs in Peel, compared to more
than 80 now. "I think our force is on the cutting edge of anti-gang activity."

The unit last year seized 23 weapons, laid 161 charges and issued 17
wanted posters. They also removed from the streets 2.5 kilos of crack
cocaine, worth $500,000, 600 pounds of marijuana, worth $1.5 million,
and 1,600 Ecstasy pills, worth $45,000.

"Twing" Johnson is a marked man. Cops say either they will capture
him and throw him in jail or a rival's bullet will lay him in a grave.

Johnson, 21, of Brampton is on a most-wanted list of criminals who
have been keeping one step ahead of cops in Niagara and Peel.

He is sought on a first-degree murder warrant for the slaying of
Shelston Antonio Broome, 29, last Christmas Eve in St. Catharines.

"It was a brutal crime," says Niagara Regional Police Insp. Brian
Eckhardt, who's spearheading the manhunt. "The victim was shot
execution-style."

Police say residents of the home were pistol-whipped by gunmen who
took Broome into another room, where they counted down before killing
him on the floor.

"This man is armed and very dangerous," warns Eckhardt. "This is one
person we would like to take off the streets."

Police believe Johnson is being hidden by colleagues in the Toronto
area. Four suspects have been arrested in connection with the murder.

Police credit a home-visit program for helping to keep gang members
and troubled teens off the streets and out of trouble.

For the past five years, the force has been conducting compliance
checks on gang members and associates released from prison to ensure
they're abiding by the terms of their release.

"We attend their address and determine if they're abiding by their
conditions," says Melaragni. "On any given week we can conduct a
number of home visits."

The program now includes an intervention and mentoring program for
at-risk youth, he says.

During a home visit, officers check to determine if a parolee is
living at a court-approved address, abiding by curfew or not drinking
alcohol or possessing guns as imposed. The process also gives
officers a chance to update their files.

And for added scrutiny, Niles says family members and mothers of
children of parolees are also notified of releases. "We let the
family know what is going on," he says. "We let them know we are out
there and available."