Police beef up gang unit to fight crime - 13abc.com Toledo (OH) News, Weather and Sports

Toledo Police plan to beef up the gang task force as part of  Chief Derrick Diggs'  mission to increase manpower on the streets and to make the city safer.

Toledo has recorded 25 murders in 2012. Violent crimes that police say are mostly drug related.

Citizens and business owners worried.  "We're getting tired of it," said business owner Tony Segura.  He lives on the East Side and is part owner of Irish Buffalo, a bar on East Broadway.  He says he's seen it all: prostitution, violence and drug sales.

"You got kids out there at two or three o'clock in the morning, you don't see no police officers riding around in their cars and stopping these people. What are you doing out this late at night? Its just as easy as that," said Segura.

It hasn't been easy for Toledo street officers. The city's tight financial budget forced the police chief to dismantle the gang unit. The department's manpower is at its lowest in years.     

 But now things are changing. Sgt. Joe Heffernan says they will add eight officers to the gang unit.  

 "The violent crime is directly related to the gangs in Toledo, so this is our way of putting a little bit more pressure on the gangs and trying to reduce that number of violent incidents that happen in Toledo."

Street officers will apply for the positions and Sgt. Heffernan says only the ones who have the best patrol records will be chosen.

"We just had 40 officers graduate another in the academy. We're giving another police test December 1st, which we'll be hiring another 75-80 officers. So, that's going to enable us to beef up some of these units historically we had like the gang unit, community services, vice narcotics," said Sgt. Heffernan

Concerned residents hope the increase will improve safety in their neighborhoods.

"Police officers they got to do their job. It don't hurt them to stop .Not just stop them for traffic violations so they can get extra money. Stop these kids that are walking the streets it don't take much," said Segura.