The long sought after restoration of White Center’s storefront deputy is one of seven programs that will receive funding from King County’s Criminal Justice Reserve at the request of KC Executive Dow Constantine.

In light of recent news that Burien and Kent are the battleground for rival Hispanic gangs, these programs aim to attack that very issue and include more resources for the Sheriff's Office gang unit, restoration of two nurses for high-risk mothers in White Center/Burien/Tukwila/SeaTac, a multitude of crime and gang prevention programs and funding for the King County Prosecutor's Office to go after gang leaders.

In total, $1.4 million will be used from the reserve to “fund seven programs that address gang issues and can be implemented quickly,” according to a King County press release. Funding will be released in early October and last through 2012.

“The problem is emerging quickly and our actions must be swift. We cannot and we will not tolerate the criminal activities of gangs in our communities,” Executive Constantine said in the press release. “In the long run we know we cannot arrest our way out of this problem, so this proposal balances gang suppression with investments in tried and true solutions that give youth an opportunity for a healthy start, an education, and employment – known factors that reduce crime and gang involvement.”

Here are the seven programs to be funded, including their costs and benefits according to the county:

1. Expand the Prosecutor’s anti-gang unit ($456,000) by supporting a team of three deputy prosecutors and a paralegal who would focus solely on gang-related cases. The Prosecutor’s Office recently lost federal funds that were focused on prosecuting gang members.

2. Provide equipment for the Sheriff’s gang unit ($30,000), including ballistic vests, binoculars, video equipment, training and software for video enhancement, and supplies used in serving search warrants and arrest warrants.

3. Restore the “storefront” deputy in White Center ($179,000), a position in the Sheriff’s Office that was cut in 2011 following the lack of voter approval for revenues to maintain criminal justice services. Restoring the position will return proactive law enforcement to the White Center neighborhood.

“The organization of the White Center community made sure they were heard and that storefront deputy was restored,” McDermott said.

A petition to restore the storefront deputy to White Center, started by the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council, has been circulating for some time.

4. Continue funding for the Sheriff’s Latino education outreach program ($15,000), which reaches young Latino mothers and other family members on gang prevention and keeping young children safe from gang recruitment and activity. Funding will support Spanish-language radio and TV spots, translated materials, and community and event coordination in east, south, and west King County.

5. Add two nurses to the Nurse Family Partnership Program focused on the White Center/Burien and Tukwila/SeaTac areas ($312,500). Many women in South King County are eligible for services but don’t receive them. Nurses in this very successful Public Health program connect high-risk mothers with services to improve health outcomes, resulting in demonstrably lower rates of involvement of these young women in the criminal justice system.

6. Restore two case managers for the Back to School and Employment Training Program ($309,000), which provides education and employment training for youthful offenders in South King County. Grant funding for five case managers expired earlier this year.

7. Continue funding for the Avanza project ($137,500), an education and employment training program for Latino youth at risk of dropping out of school or falling into the juvenile justice system. This program has been successful in engaging truant youth back into school and providing employment opportunities, and without the proposed funding it will shut down this fall when grant funds expire. Both this program and the Back to School and Employment Training program are managed through a partnership between King County Superior Court and the King County Work Training Program.

According to Councilmember McDermott, the addition of two nurses to the Nurse Family Parternship Program (program number five above) has been very effective in driving down the arrest rates of high-risk mothers and he believes the additional funding will be an asset to crime reduction in White Center.

“This is a well-rounded approach. Early childhood interventions, employment training and criminal justice resources will not only work to prevent violence but will also help many individuals become contributing community members,” Councilmember McDermott, who represents White Center, said in the press release.

King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg said, "This comprehensive proposal to fund dedicated gang prosecutors is a rapid response to an escalating threat to public safety. It will allow my office to build strong cases against the leaders of violent gangs and at the same time, fund programs for at-risk youth, so that we can offer them an alternative to the gang life.”

“This will help our Deputies and Detectives do their jobs even better,” KCSO Sheriff Sue Rahr said in the press release.