New Tactic in Fight Against Bulldog Gang

By Sontaya Rose

11/20/2007 - One year into Operation Bulldog, Fresno police are ready to change their tactics in their fight against the city's largest street gang.

Fresno police are going to continue to track and arrest Bulldog gang members. But now, officers will focus investigations specifically on looking out for gang leaders and kingpins as they work to weed out the Bulldog gang.

Police say their Bulldog mission is working and on the streets officers can see they are making progress.

Chief Jerry Dyer, Fresno Police Department, says "A year ago what we saw in our city were Bulldog gang members that were brazenly wearing red colors, Bulldog attire. Standing on corners, in groups barking at not only citizens as they drove by but also police officers with a total disregard for the safety of our citizens."

Since the crackdown began officers have arrested 4,800 Bulldog gang members for everything from graffiti to murder. They have also seized 148 guns.

Instead of displaying their gang pride, officers say these days they often find gang members hiding their tattoos, changing the way they dress and denying affiliation. Chief Dyer says the crackdown has made Bulldog gang members feel uncomfortable in Fresno and he says they will become increasingly uneasy the next year.

"We went at it with a three prong approach. Disrupt, dismantle and displace," says Chief Dyer.

Over the next year, police will be using more intelligence and surveillance to target high ranking gang members. Police are also asking citizens to report parties involving gang members. Citizens can receive a cash reward for the tip.

Mayor Alan Autry says Operation Bulldog is effective because while it focuses partially on suppression, it also works to address intervention and prevention- for gang members who want to turn their lives around.

"After this year, I think that our hammer and hope philosophy in Fresno of approaching gang activity it's irrefutable, the results are in," says Autry.

As proof of the operation working; the chief and the mayor say 2,000 people have said they want out of the gang. 550 are enrolled in the Mayor's gang prevention initiative to get the skills to start over.