Gang Crime in Yakima? Police Say it Has to Meet Certain Criteria

Gang crime. It's a big problem in Yakima. But police say most of the time gang members are targeting each other and not innocent bystanders. Thousands serve in the Crips, the Bloods, and the Black Gangster Disciples and many of those gangs operate in Yakima and the lower Yakima Valley.

ONLY THOSE GANG CRIMES THAT CAN BE CONFIRMED

The city witnesses numerous shootings and killings every year with a lot of the violence tied to gang activity. Because gang crimes usually happen without an arrest Yakima Police can't call every incident an official gang related incident but they know they see a large number of gang crimes every year in the city.

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GANG CRIME GETS A LOT OF ATTENTION BUT IT'S OTHER CRIMES THAT IMPACT A MAJORITY OF PEOPLE

Last year Police estimate they investigated at least 40 official gang related incidents but many others were suspected as gang related crimes.
And even though gang crime gets a lot of attention it's property and domestic crime that impacts a majority of people who live in the city of Yakima.

BASICALLY TWO GROUPS BATTLE EACH OTHER ON THE STREETS OF YAKIMA

The Yakima Police Department's Patrol Division, Captain Jay Seely, explains that the local street gangs primarily segregate into two groups - the Norteños and the Sureños, though they share a California-origin, with a connection to the Nuestra Familia prison gang.
The two main gangs in Yakima are constantly at war with each other say local authorities and they battle over Yakima territory as well.