Pubdate: 29 Jan 1998 Source: Wisconsin State Journal Author: Brenda Ingersoll , Police reporter Contact: Mail: All LTEs to: Editor, Wisconsin State Journal, POB 8058, Madison, WI 53708 Website: http://www.madison.com/ GANGS RAISE DRUG STAKES Madison Becomes Center For Trade, Task Force Warns Madison has ''hundreds'' of gang members who control its open-air crack cocaine markets, a Dane County Narcotics and Gang Task Force official said Wednesday in unveiling the group's first report to the public. ''The Gangster Disciples from Chicago are firmly entrenched here,'' said Madison police Lt. William Housley, who leads the task force. ''Our gang situation in this area is certainly maturing. We see more people claiming gang affiliation, more tattooing, more intelligence of gang meetings going on to talk about who has what corner of the market.'' Gang members grew so bold last year, Police Chief Richard Williams said, ''they had the nerve to have a gang meeting in one of our community centers.'' The 34-member task force has kept its war on drugs and gangs relatively unpublicized. That changed Wednesday, with a news conference by Housley, Williams and Dane County Sheriff Gary Hamblin to announce the group's 1997 annual report. ''Our purpose today is not to tout what law enforcement has done. It's to maintain public awareness that this is a serious problem,'' Hamblin said. ''It's become much more sophisticated and the stakes are higher Guns are involved.'' The report bears him out: In 1997, the task force seized $1.66 million in drugs, $243,881 in cash, 64 weapons and nine vehicles. They spent $24,473 in ''drug buys.'' Drug dogs checked out 1,249 parcels, 153 vehicles and 65 buildings. Members arrested 1,056 people, a 16 percent increase over 1996. Of 100 people arrested by the task force investigative section, 53 were white and 47 were minorities. Of 956 people arrested by the operations section, 39 percent were white and 61 percent were minorities. ''That stands to reason, because we're assigned to challenged neighborhoods, which are predominantly minority, where we have the open-air drug markets,'' Housley said. A total of 750 drug charges were issued: 305 related to marijuana, 124 to crack cocaine, 48 to powder cocaine and the rest to heroin, hallucinogenic mushrooms, phony drugs, methamphetamines and Valium. The $1.4 million in marijuana seized shows it ''still is the drug of choice,'' Housley said. Crack seizures declined from a 1995 peak, which ''may mean it's beginning to stabilize,'' while powder cocaine seizures grew 38 percent from 1996, he said. Madison is now a drug source for other Wisconsin cities, Housley added. ''People come here to buy and take it back for sale.'' Housley expects flat crack sales in 1998, but rising sales of powder cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines. Last year, the task force investigated four methamphetamine cases and three ''meth'' labs.