Police add officers and ask for public help
The Madera Police Department saw a massive spike in gang-related crime throughout the month of December, and though additional officers have been assigned to combat the problem, officials said the public’s help will prove crucial in making progress against a rising tide of violence and drugs.
In December alone, Special Investigations Unit Sgt. Gino Chiaramonte said SIU investigators and patrol officers seized 22 guns from gang members and arrested 35 of them; compared to just one gun seized and four arrested in December 2012.
“Those numbers are extremely high,” Chiaramonte said. “We are having serious issues with our gangs right now … for example I would say on average we seize maybe two or three guns a month. So the fact we’re getting 22 a month, it’s quite clear we’re having some issues.”
Chiaramonte pointed to several shootings within city limits the past few months and described them as random acts of violence linked to Madera’s two most prominent gangs...