Police focus on kids in softer approach to Poco Way area
‘Un Poco Mas’ aims to build durable presence with a nonenforcement tack
SAN JOSE >> For decades, Poco Way has been both a hotspot and a bellwether for gang violence in the city. And, for decades, police have responded by stepping up arrests and sending specialized gang-enforcement teams to the East San Jose neighborhood to cool things down.
Today, the San Jose Police Department is trying a different tack.
Under its “Un Poco Mas” program, a police detail is walking around the neighborhood — not looking for people to arrest, but for residents to simply talk to. Of particular interest are the students at Arbuckle Elementary School, a focal point and community center for the workingclass, predominantly Mexican American community.
Last week, 25 police officers held an overnight “Star Camp” for fourth and fifth graders at the Camp Cheesbrough Scout Reservation west of Saratoga.
“It was my first time” camping, said 9-year-old Jade Gonzalez, an Arbuckle fourth grader. “I never talked to a police officer before.”
Police Chief Eddie Garcia said it’s one way to help students in the neighborhood steer clear of the gang influences outside their homes.
“I’ve been in this department for almost 30 years, and for 30 years it’s been a gang hotspot. Whatever we’ve been doing isn’t working,” he said. “We do suppression well. But hopefully we can help provide the intervention piece.”
At the overnight camp, students rock climbed, tried archery and pursued new outdoor adventures.
Jennifer Maloney, a fifth grade teacher at Arbuckle, said the efforts helped fulfill students’ needs that are often beyond the reach of modern school budgets.
“There are a lot of needs,
emotionally and just having experiences like field trips,” Maloney said. “These kids don’t get to have a lot of those experiences. And those are what you need to help you dream and think outside of the world outside your neighborhood.”
She added: “Just in one day of these kids at this camp, I’ve seen a different side of them. There’s a different energy. And I’ll be able to take that back to the classroom.”
Police said the aim of Un Poco Mas — Spanish for “a little more” — is to provide a steady presence in the area by offering its Team Kids mentorship program at the school, crime prevention education for residents, neighborhood and business watch support, and periodic gatherings like barbecues and community meetings. On Monday, that came by way of the SJPD ice cream truck to Arbuckle.
If police staffing continues to rise, the initiative could expand to other areas of the city, Garcia said. But he made it clear that no matter what happens at the Poco Way neighborhood, the program is there to stay.
“We can’t leave Poco Way,” Garcia said. “Success for me is not lowering crime rates, but watching those kids graduate high school.”
Luis Hernandez, a 10-year-old Arbuckle fifth grader, had never gone camping before last week. And the only time he had seen police officers in his neighborhood was when “they were catching people robbing and breaking into people’s cars.”
“They showed us a lot of good things,” Luis said.
Both Luis and Jade have heard anti-gang rhetoric before, and Jade mentioned people close to her family who had become involved in gang life. She said she tries to “stay away” from it as much as she can.
Along those lines, Garcia hopes that establishing a rapport with neighborhood youth at this stage means less of that historic enforcement.
At the camp, “those kids were just having fun, kicking rocks, throwing sticks. I didn’t see kids flashing gang signs, or anything like that,” he said. “But we know statistically, some may turn (to gang activity), though hopefully not.
“But it hasn’t happened,” he added. “So it’s about where we need to stay on top, positively, of these kids who we know are in vulnerable areas.”