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The recent spike in gang violence has Tracy residents on edge. The police have promised to battle the gang problem in Tracy and part of their answer is the Gang Suppression Unit.


The Tracy Police teams two patrol officers together and assigns them to patrol the areas of Tracy that have a high gang member influence. I took a ride along recently with two of the officers to see what life on the front lines of the gang issue in Tracy is like.


I was on patrol with Tracy Police officers Amber Moon and Leticia Infante as they cruised what is becoming known as Tracy’s tougher neighborhoods. The streets seem like any other Tracy neighborhood but they tend to have a higher potential of gang activity. Areas they searched included Holly Drive, Central Avenue, 8th Street and part of Grant Line Road. The neighborhoods are nice overall but they do have their pockets of problems.


The officers tried to make as much contact with people who might be gang affiliated. Most of the stops were consensual where the person stopped could walk away from the officers at any time. If they found them to have tattoos or some type of gang affiliation they were questioned and any markings were photographed.

The pressure is defiantly on; people on the street know that officers are looking for troublemakers. Hopefully the pressure will quell the gang members and curb the recent outbursts of violence in our town.