Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: 11/15/07

Contact person(s):

Media Coordinator, Hilary Moores - 565-3099 Media Spokesperson, District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua

Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California

DISTRICT ATTORNEY SPEAKS AT 2ND ANNUAL CALIFORNIA GANG SUMMIT

Sonoma County District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua announced that the 2nd Annual California Gang Summit was held last week in Riverside. The Sonoma County DA’s Office was one of the sponsors of this event to raise public awareness on the statewide gang problems that exist and to forge partnerships in order to create collaborative anti-gang programs.

"Despite the efforts of the past 20 years, including the creation of new criminal statutes, the gang problem is no longer just a large city issue; it affects all communities throughout the state. We must continue to aggressively hold violent gang members accountable, and equally as important, work in collaboration with community-based organizations, and schools to provide our youth the resources and support that they need to make good choices," said District Attorney Passalacqua who was the lunch speaker on Wednesday.

Attorney General Jerry Brown, Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco, and Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley also were featured speakers at the week long summit. Over four hundred members of law enforcement, including investigators, prosecutors, and probation officers throughout the state, attended the summit and over one hundred professionals from community-based organizations and schools attended the community track. The Riverside County DA’s Office and the Riverside County Gang Investigators Association hosted the summit.