Pocono News Section

Gang Concerns Addressed at Lackawanna County Meeting

Gang Concerns Addressed at Lackawanna County Meeting - Friday, August 21, 2009 at 6:30PM EST

Reported by: Eric Deabill
Friday, Aug 21, 2009 @ 06:30pm EST
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY - Just 48 hours after two West Scranton teenagers were arrested for a gang murder, community leaders came together. They met in Scranton to address ways to address gang concerns in Lackawanna County.

District Attorney Andy Jarbola was part of that meeting. He doesn't pull any punches when talking about gangs.

"There's a gang presence county-wide. It's not just in the city of Scranton," Jarbola said.

On Friday, Jarbola met with Scranton city leaders and school district officials to share information and keep open the lines of communication. They want to be proactive.

"We're just trying to bat around a few ideas of what steps we can take to make it safer for not only the students but the community," Scranton police chief David Elliott said.

Mayor Chris Doherty vows to fight any gang problems in Scranton.

"You recognize it and we recognize it's our responsibility to solve it and combat it and that's what we're gonna do," Mayor Doherty said.

One of the many ideas proposed was bringing every school district together, superintendents and principals, for an informational session.

"Teachers and school districts see the kids more during the course of a day than the parents or any other relative and they're in a position to see if kids are using gang graffiti or drawing on their notebooks," Jarbola said.

"We're hitting them as early as second grade but it's still in their hands. They have to make the right choices," Elliott said.

All sides say this meeting is just the first. They will keep the lines of communication open about gang issues.