WITH AN EYE TO OAKLAND, S.F. COPS GIRD FOR BLOODBATH

As the body count continues to climb in Oakland and across the nation,
local cops are bracing for an escalation in the bloodbath between local
gangs vying for turf and the lucrative trade in crack cocaine.

"We're preparing for the worst," said SFPD Investigator Brian Peagler of
the department's Gang Task Force.

While tame by Oakland's homicide standards -- 65 so far this year and
climbing fast -- the rate of gang-related murder is rising in San Francisco.

There have been 42 homicides so far this year in The City, a majority
related to gangs and crack, a 22 percent increase from the same period last
year.

In addition, seizures of crack and related arrests have continued to rise
for the third-straight year, and cops see no letup in supply or demand.

As a result, the Gang Task Force is building bridges with counterparts in
Oakland to help stem the across-the-Bay transfer of drugs and their
dealers, building a network of informants in the neighborhoods hardest hit
by the crack trade and maintaining a high-visibility.

But with limited manpower, limited money and lenient sentencing guidelines
for small-time crack dealers and first-time offenders, turning the tide in
San Francisco is slow going, cops say.

Narcotics Inspector Gavin McEachern likens San Francisco to a 24-hour,
open-air drug bazaar with a seemingly endless supply of not only crack but
also heroin. As soon as cops close down one street network, the dealers
simply pick up and move to another neighborhood, be it the Mission,
Tenderloin or Bayview.

"The crack trade hasn't slowed down at all. We spend months hitting them,
and then they move on. When they do, it usually takes us two months to
catch up," McEachern said.

The shortcomings of the police department, budget constraints and a poor
track record solving crimes, are good news for the dealers.

"It's a huge gig and we could sure use some help," said Peagler.

Of the seven years Peagler has been with the department, the escalating
violence and drug trade in the Western Addition, which he works
exclusively, is the worst he's "ever seen."

Peagler attributes much of the killing and shooting to retaliatory hits and
feuds among thugs who've known each other for years, some of them since
childhood.

"There is a lot of tension in the Mission right now," said a gang
prevention counselor who asked to remain anonymous. "A lot of murders
haven't been solved between Surenos and Nortenos. "

Recent driveby shootings in Bayview put Latin gang members on the
offensive, said the counselor.

"It brings up fear of getting caught by rival enemies," he said. "The air
gets thicker. These kids go to school together."