Assistance requested to deal with gangs

RITZVILLE – Juan Garza, Administrator of Adams County Juvenile Services, reported to Adams County Commissioners, asking for additional assistance Wednesday, April 7.

Garza said dealing with gangs was taking up most of the department's time.

“At the end of 2019, we started to see a rise in gangs coming in, even in the middle school age,” Garza said, presenting a notebook of gang-related graffiti in the community from 2020. He presented a notebook of graffiti from 2021, stating four months into the year, the notebook is already almost as thick.

“Only when these kids are locked up are we seeing a...