Salem Police disbands gang task force, shifts focus

Virginia Barreda
Statesman Journal

Two suspected homicides within three hours of each other. Two drive-by shootings. A report of shots fired. One stabbing.

The violent spree in Northeast Salem earlier this month seemed to bear signs of gang activity.

Had the incidents happened earlier this year, Salem Police Department's Gang Enforcement Team would have gotten involved. 

But that team disbanded about a month ago.

The Gang Enforcement Team, which has been around on-and-off for more than 20 years, was disbanded for several reasons, according to Lt. Treven Upkes with Salem Police:

  • Investigations are conducted based on the crime committed, not the affiliations of the criminal.  "There is no way for us to arrest someone for being in a gang," Upkes said. "Even if someone is in a gang, whatever crime they commit we’re going to arrest them for that."
  • Oregon has no criminal enhancement penalty — an increase of punishment such as higher a jail sentence — for arresting someone with gang affiliation 
  • With budgetary constraints, officials decided to funnel resources into responding to 911 calls

Still, Salem Police Department officials are aware of gang presence in the city that includes outlaw motorcycle gangs, Latino gangs, prison-affiliated gangs and multi-national cartels operating in and out of Salem along the I-5 corridor, Upkes said. 

A large memorial is still present at Englewood Park, 1260 19th St. NE in Salem more than a week after Ishaq Saleem, 16, of Keizer was shot there during an incident on August 4. Salem was taken to the Hospital where he died. No arrests had been made and authorities are searching for the suspect involved.

Salem Police Department had the last "dedicated" gang team in the Willamette Valley south of the Portland area, Upkes said.

The Marion County Sheriff's office does not have a gang investigations team. The agency "deals with the crime committed rather than the affiliation" of the suspect, Sgt. Jeremy Landers said. 

More:Salem Police Chief Jerry Moore addresses recent shootings

"It doesn't change the resources of the seriousness associated with the crime," Landers said. 

The Hillsboro Police Department's Gang Enforcement Team has been on hiatus for about a month and a half because of staffing issues, according to Sgt. Eric Bunday. The team, made up of one sergeant and one detective, will return when there is a supervisor to fill the position. 

Salem's Gang Enforcement Team

A team of two officers and one sergeant in Salem worked under the title of Gang Enforcement Team until July 1, according to Upkes. The team, under the Patrol Division in the Community Response Section, has been around in various iterations since the '90s. 

But as gang activity shifted from the streets to the computer, the team's final stretch evolved into an intelligence-gathering effort that worked with the Marion County Parole and Probation Division and the Department of Corrections.

Today, gang-related activity consists mostly of graffiti, Upkes said.

A memorial at Englewood Park, 1260 19th St. NE in Salem the shooting death of Ishaq Saleem, 16, of Keizer on August 4. Saleem was taken to the hospital where he died. No arrests had been made and authorities are searching for the suspect involved.

"We just don't have that type of gang lifestyle," he said, referring to frequent violent crime. "Having a three-person team really didn't make much sense."

And police department officials started noticing an overlap in resources. "If there was a homicide that involved gang members, our homicide team investigated it anyway," he said. 

The two officers previously in the Gang Enforcement Team returned to patrolling while the sergeant now oversees a new program called the Problem-Oriented Policing team.

The new three-person team, created in January, focuses on solving recurring problems, mostly dealing with community livability issues such as noise complaints, large transient camps and property crimes —  problems Upkes calls the most "critical" in the city.

Violent crime teams

Upkes pointed to school resource officers as effective preventative resources in dissuading young people to join gangs.

"If we feel we need to bring (the gang team) back we could, but with the diminishing resources, we felt reorganization was in the best interest," he said. 

The police department has two groups of detectives in the Investigations Division that focus on violent crimes: One group, the Criminal Investigations Section, investigates major crimes after they happen — traditionally robberies and homicides. 

More:Police identify 16-year-old victim in fatal shooting at Englewood Park

The second group, the Special Operation Section which includes the Street Crimes Unit, works to identify individuals engaged in criminal activity and arrest them to prevent more crimes, according to Lt. Debbie Aguilar with the police department. 

Crime decreases despite homicide spikes

The rate of violent crime in Oregon has dropped significantly since 1990, according to FBI crime data. In 2017, there were 281.8 violent crimes per 100,000 people compared to 506.8 in 1990. 

The FBI's violent crime data is composed of homicides, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.

In Salem, serious crimes — Part 1 Crimes on the city's website — dropped 6.2% from 2017 to 2018. The crimes include aggravated assault, arson, homicide, larceny, burglary, and rape. 

The same category of crime is trending down another 4.5%, so far, in 2019, according to Upkes.

Comparing January to June 30, 2019, and the same time period in 2018 the following crimes have decreased. 

  • Aggravated assaults: 8.6%
  • Robbery: 28.3%
  • Motor vehicle theft: 6.4%
  • Business burglaries: 24.6%

Homicides, however, have increased from two between January and June 30, 2018, to seven in the same time frame this year.

Englewood Park fatal shooting 

The first incident was reported around 1 a.m. Aug. 4 at Englewood Park, 1260 19th St. NE, according to Aguilar with Salem Police. 

The victim, identified as Ishaq Saleem, 16, of Keizer was taken to Salem Hospital where he died. 

A picture of Ishaq Saleem is included, along with candles, messages and flowers on a large memorial that is still present at Englewood Park, 1260 19th St. NE in Salem more than a week after Ishaq Saleem, 16, of Keizer was shot there during an incident on August 4. Salem was taken to the Hospital where he died. No arrests had been made and authorities are searching for the suspect involved.

Saleem had not been enrolled in a district school since 2016-17 when he attended Claggett Creek Middle School, according to Lillian Govus with Salem-Keizer Public Schools. 

He was enrolled to attend McNary High School in the fall. 

No arrests had been made. 

A playground slide was removed following the Englewood Park shooting.

A large memorial is still present at Englewood Park, 1260 19th St. NE in Salem more than a week after Ishaq Saleem, 16, of Keizer was shot there during an incident on August 4. Salem was taken to the Hospital where he died. No arrests had been made and authorities are searching for the suspect involved.

Englewood Park, a neighborhood woodland park next to Englewood Elementary School, is home to two playgrounds, 7-acres of century-old trees, a splash pad and the beloved Englewood Forest Festival. 

According to historical archives, it is considered the city's oldest park. 

Fatal shooting on 22nd Street NE 

A Salem man was arrested at his home and charged with the murder of his stepson — about two hours after the suspected homicide at Englewood Park, according to the Marion County District Attorney's Office.

Police were called to the 400 block of 22nd Street NE after reports of a disturbance about 3:20 a.m., according to Salem Police officials. 

The victim, identified as Francisco Daniel Torres Perez, 24, of Salem, was taken to Salem Hospital, where he died.

Alberto Medina-Cortes, 43, of Salem, is arraigned on a murder charge in the shooting death of Francisco Daniel Torres Perez, 24, of Salem, at the Marion County Court Annex in Salem on Aug. 5, 2019. According to dispatch logs, the victim was Medina-Cortes' son.

Alberto Medina-Cortes, 43, was arrested and taken to Marion County Jail the same evening, according to court documents.

Police had responded earlier in the evening to a noise and domestic disturbance complaint at the home. A caller told dispatchers a woman was outside throwing bottles at a window during a party.

The disturbance was cleared about 13 minutes before the shooting occurred, according to the dispatch logs

Medina-Cortes was arraigned Aug. 5. Judge Jennifer Gardiner ordered Medina-Cortes be held without bail. His next court appearance scheduled for Sept. 10.

According to court records, Medina-Cortes was arrested on menacing charges in 1998, assault and coercion charges in 2001 and a fourth-degree assault charge in 2009. All charges except for the 1998 menacing charges were dismissed.

At the time, he was ordered to surrender all his guns and serve two years probation. 

Salem police tape off the scene of a suspected murder on the 400 block of 22nd St. NE on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2019.

Evergreen Avenue NE shooting 

Salem Police investigated a shooting in the 1500 block of Evergreen Avenue NE at about 1 a.m. on Aug. 5, according to Salem Police.

After officers arrived, they confirmed there were no injuries. Authorities have not identified those involved and have not said whether the shooting is related to the other shootings.

3 injured in 47th Avenue NE drive-by

Deputies responded to a report of gunfire on 47th Avenue NE near Polaris Street NE at 10:12 p.m. Aug. 5, said Sgt. Jeremy Landers with the Marion County Sheriff's Office. 

Three people were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The status of the patients nor their identities have been released.

The suspect fled before deputies arrived. Investigators have not released information on the suspect or the vehicle.

Those with information are asked to call the sheriff's office at 503-588-5032.

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Market Street NE drive-by

On Aug. 8, police responded to a drive-by shooting after a caller reported hearing gunshots fired in the 4000 block of Market Street NE near Clay Street NE Around 6:15 p.m., according to Salem Police shift commander Jeff Barratt. 

An officer found a vehicle with bullet holes on Clay Street, Barratt said.

There were no injuries reported and police are looking for suspects.

Police seized the damaged car for investigation. 

Stabbing on Hadley Street NE

A 21-year-old man was taken to the hospital following a stabbing on Aug. 10 in Northeast Salem. 

The stabbing occurred around 11 p.m. in the 3300 block of Hadley Street NE, according to Aguilar with Salem Police.

The man was taken to Salem Hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. 

He told police he did not want to be listed as a victim. Police have since halted their investigation.

Police have not identified the victim nor any suspects. 

Statesman Journal reporters Whitney Woodworth and David Davis contributed to this story. 

Virginia Barreda is the breaking news reporter with the Statesman Journal. She can be reached at 503-399-6657 or at vbarreda@statesmanjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter at @vbarreda2.