Pubdate: Wed, 31 Jul 2002 Source: San Francisco Examiner (CA) Copyright: 2002 San Francisco Examiner Contact: http://www.examiner.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/389 Author: Richard Byrne Reilly Note: Adrienne Sanders contributed to this report Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) 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." - --- MAP posted-by: Beth