A message to our community about the hard work happening at the Nampa Police Department:
We
have shared several press releases in recent months outlining violent incidents in our city, many of which are violent gang-related crimes.
The Nampa Police Department would like the public to know we take gang violence very seriously and have a zero-tolerance stance on gang-related criminal activity. Thorough investigations that build a solid case for court take time and we understand the difficulties some have in waiting for that process to be completed. We are working hard to follow up on leads from recent incidents and the public can be of great assistance by contacting the police with information about these incidents. We are actively looking for people engaged in these criminal acts and for witnesses who can assist in bringing the suspects to justice.
The Nampa Police Department wants the public to understand there are several factors involved in getting criminals off the street. The public, police, prosecutors, courts, jails and prisons, and probation and parole are all vital to the process of combatting crime. If there is a breakdown in any one of these areas, it disrupts the process of identifying, apprehending, and holding accountable those who would do harm in our community. While we are working hard to do our part, it takes all of our partners to have a lasting impact.
We need community members to report criminal activity while it is happening. With your help, we can intervene early and build a more solid case. We need prosecutors to evaluate violent offenders and assign firm and appropriate charges that address the problems of violence. Courts need to sentence violent offenders, both juvenile and adult, to appropriate sentences that keep violent offenders away from society. Violent gang offenders should not receive reduced sentences, and the courts and detention facilities should not be prematurely releasing these inmates on probation or parole. When placed on probation or parole, those officers assigned to them should be allowed to actively monitor and act on violations of their probation or parole. They need to be given the discretion to return violent offenders to jail whenever violations occur.
Violent offenders are being arrested in our community weekly for drugs, stolen property, assault, and other violent crimes, only to be released back onto our streets within days. This revolving door is not new, but it must become the focus of a community-wide effort if we really want to suppress violent crime in our community. Most of these offenders are already on probation or parole and the inability to keep them incarcerated has led to repeated violent crimes in our community. Individuals need to be held accountable through the criminal justice system, including those placed on probation or parole. This lack of accountability is impacting our community.
How many gang-related crimes would have been prevented if the person responsible was still in jail, serving their time, instead of back out on the street? The Nampa Police Department will continue to work hard to do our part in the criminal justice system, but we need our law enforcement partners and the community’s help if we want to make a real impact on violent crime.
As an example, below are four timelines of local repeat offenders:
