David J. Silva: Round up the gangsters and put them in prison

Re “Do whatever it takes to stop murders in Merced County” (Page 9A, April 30): According to the Merced Sun-Star, Merced County now has the dubious honor of having the highest per-capita murder rate of the 58 counties in California. According to law enforcement, the spike in murders is caused by the increase in gang activity tied to narcotics and prostitution. Many of these gangs have a direct link to gangs from south of the border.

There are many illegal activities that are far less dangerous than gang membership, such as jaywalking, indecent exposure, driving without a seat belt, etc. It is also illegal to belong to a terrorist group and as far as I am concerned, these gangs are terrorist groups and should be treated as such. If belonging to a gang is not illegal, it should be.

We need a task force devoted to gang activity only, because the county does not have the manpower to handle the problem. Law enforcement knows who most of the gang members are and they need to have the legal right to round them up and either put them in prison or deport them. Law-abiding citizens shouldn’t have to live in fear.

This story was originally published May 3, 2016 at 11:55 AM with the headline "David J. Silva: Round up the gangsters and put them in prison."