Upvalley mostly quiet on the gang front

By CARLOS VILLATORO
Register Staff Writer

A group of kids tattoo themselves with gang signs. Police break up fistfights between school children who claim to be gang members. A street sign that helps motorists navigate local roads doubles as a target for graffiti.

This is the sort of gang activity that Upvalley law enforcement agencies deal with on any given day.

But St. Helena Police Chief Monty Castillo and his Calistoga counterpart, Jonathan Mills, say the gang problem they face is small, just like the cities they patrol.

A quiet drive through downtown Calistoga reveals nothing of gang activity. But anyone who veers off the main drag might see the telltale signs; gang graffiti can be seen behind old buildings, street signs and public bathroom stalls.

Chief Mills said that as soon as the graffiti goes up, it’s painted over — due in part to an innovative diversion program run by the department.

In Calistoga, when police nab a juvenile for a gang-related crime they give them two choices, either sign a contract that aims to keep them out of trouble — and see the charge dropped —  or answer to the Napa County District Attorney’s Office and face the legal repercussions.

Teens who sign the contracts do a lot of the graffiti cleanup in town.

“Any sign of blight, we are responsible (about eradicating),” Mills said during a recent ride-along in Calistoga. “The ... (diversion) program is a way for us to deal with lesser juvenile offenses.”

The six-month contracts impose strict guidelines on teens, including a curfew, graffiti clean-up, regular school attendance and promises to cut ties with gang affiliates. If they meet their contract obligations, the case is dropped. If not, their case goes to prosecutors who decide whether to file charges.

Out-of-towners

In St. Helena, Chief Castillo said that when his department sees gang members, they are usually just passing through.

“When you look at gangs, we are really unique here Upvalley,” Castillo said. “We have occasions during car stops or probation stops of gang members making their way through town.”

Although Castillo acknowledges that the trouble has reached St. Helena, he said he can think of only two known gang members operating within the city limits. Castillo, who took over the department in 2006, said the last major gang crime in St. Helena occurred two years ago.

“There was a family that moved from another part of the Bay Area,” he said. “A brother and sister were arrested here for terrorist threats (and) a gang enhancement. It was directed toward another juvenile.”

Castillo said that the family has since moved away and the police department continues to monitor gang activity. St. Helena, the chief said, resembles his former post, the Benicia Police Department.

“I see a lot of similarities with that small population, quality of life is the same, very small gang activity,” he said.

Castillo said he’d like to keep it that way.

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