Ventura County prosecutors and police say they will once again begin using court injunctions to try to limit gang activity in one South Coast City. The City of Oxnard began using gang injunctions as a tool to try to reduce crime in the early 2000’s. But, the way the original action was structured raised issues about the violation of civil rights, which resulted in the suspension of the use of the enforcement tool.
Prosecutors and Oxnard police worked to adjust the injunctions to bring them in compliance with some recent court rulings, and a judge has granted the DA’s motion to modify them.
The injunctions prohibit known gang members from doing things like gathering in designated areas, possessing firearms, and flashing gang signs. Police and prosecutors say in the past, they have helped reduce crime in Oxnard