Contact: Susan Kang Schroeder, Chief of Staff, OCDA, 714-347-8408, 714-292-2718
Farrah Emami, Spokesperson, OCDA, 714-347-8405, 714-323-4486
Cpl. Anthony Bertagna, Public Information Officer, SAPD, 714-245-8029 , 714-709-2043
David Valentin, Chief of Police, SAUSDPD, 714-558-5829,
Orange County District Attorney, Santa Ana Police Department, & Santa Ana Unified School District Police Department
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 25, 2011
GRIP KICKS OFF SCHOOL YEAR WITH NEW CITY AND NEW PROGRAM TO KEEP KIDS IN SCHOOL AND OUT OF GANGS
SANTA ANA – The Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) Gang Prevention and Intervention Partnership
(GRIP) has kicked off the new school year by officially welcoming the City of Santa Ana to its law enforcement
partnership and launching a new GRIP II program to keep kids in school and out of gangs.
“In order to keep our children out of gangs, we need to equip them with the tools to get an education, pick the right
friends, and have the confidence to make healthy lifestyle choices. I’m proud to welcome Santa Ana to our GRIP
partnership so that we can work together to help kids and families develop these tools,” said District Attorney Tony
Rackauckas. “I am also proud of the District Attorney staff who are volunteering their free time with GRIP II to invest in
our communities by providing resources to teachers, options to parents, and guidance to at-risk youth.”
“The Santa Ana Police Department is excited to have become the newest member of the Orange County GRIP
Program,” said Santa Ana Police Chief Paul Walters. “Our community is committed to fighting gang violence. This
collaborative effort is a comprehensive approach that will keep our youth on the right track with early intervention and
coordinated anti-gang efforts.”
City of Santa Ana Kick-Off Event
In September 2011, the Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) and Santa Ana Unified School District Police Department
(SAUSDPD), officially joined GRIP to identify at-risk youth in Santa Ana and aim to increase school attendance and
decrease gang activity.
Santa Ana GRIP will conduct curfew sweeps in high-volume gang activity areas, truancy sweeps at the homes of
students with excessive absences, and informational parent, student, and faculty meetings. GRIP also offers incentives
for students, including professional sporting events, who complete the school year with no gang activity or affiliation and
improved attendance and grades.
The first Santa Ana GRIP event will be a parent meeting Oct. 27, 2011, at 5:30 p.m. at Century High School at 1401
South Grand Avenue, Santa Ana. Media are invited to attend.
Special thanks to Chick-fil-A for donating chicken sandwiches for attendees.
Santa Ana GRIP includes the OCDA, SAPD, SAUSDPD, Orange County Probation Department (Probation), Santa Ana
Unified School District, and community partners from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County, Community Service
Programs and Saddleback Church.
County-wide, GRIP is composed of eight law enforcement partners including the Buena Park Police Department,
Garden Grove Police Department, OCDA, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Orange Police Department, Probation,
SAPD, and SAUSDPD, and is active in the Cities of Buena Park, Garden Grove, Mission Viejo, Orange, San Clemente,
San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Stanton, and unincorporated North Orange County.
GRIP II
In September 2011, GRIP II was implemented as an as an educational component to GRIP in 18 schools in the Cities of
Costa Mesa, Dana Point, Garden Grove, La Habra, Laguna Hills, Orange, Placentia, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana,
and Tustin.
Over 90 OCDA staff members volunteer before and after work, during their lunch hour, and on weekends to give faculty
presentations on how to mentor at-risk students and parent presentations on how to keep their neighborhoods safe and
gang free through neighborhood watch and deter gang members from contacting at-risk students through the oncampus parent-greeter program. The OCDA volunteers, along with police and probation officers, also give student
presentations to at-risk youth regarding negative consequences of joining gangs and the positive effects of staying in
school.
Over 2,500 school faculty and 2,000 Orange County parents are involved in these outreach programs. OCDA
volunteers include the Chief of the Bureau of Investigation (Bureau), a senior assistant district attorney, assistant district
attorneys, senior deputy district attorneys, deputy district attorneys, Bureau commanders, supervising investigators, and investigators.
###
