Police Chief Rick Braziel and Sheriff Scott Jones are both putting more manpower into going after Sacramento's gangs. That's a wise use of federal grants they just received.

To make the biggest impact, however, they need to join forces with each other, with other law enforcement agencies in the region and with community efforts.

One of the most promising is the Sacramento Safe Community Partnership, which launched last November under the leadership of Sacramento Area Congregations Together. It's a local version of "cease-fire" programs that have had success in other cities.

Clergy, law enforcement, neighborhood groups and social service providers have banded together to try to reduce gang-related violence in the Mack Road area in south Sacramento, where two rival gangs battle for turf. Four congregations go on night walks to spread the word and another 15 are involved. Three full-time outreach workers are on the streets to help keep the peace.

The initiative hinges on "call-ins" – group meetings where gang members hear from police, ministers, social workers and victims' relatives. They get an ultimatum: They can accept help to get out of the gang life. Or they can be closely watched by police and risk long prison terms if they commit another crime.

Those who want to leave gangs get intensive follow-up and access to job training, education and employment. About $1.2 million in state and federal grants, plus private foundation funding, has gone into the partnership. While that's quite a bit of money, the early results appear encouraging.

The number of shootings dropped in the Mack Road area from November 2010 to June 2011, compared to the same period a year earlier; gang-related shootings decreased even further. Of the 144 gang members who were invited or volunteered for the call-ins, nearly two-thirds attended. Of those who attended, 60 percent went to the initial services orientation; a majority of them did at least some job training, education or work. The re-arrest rate for those who took part in call-ins was lower than usual.

That initial success happened at the same time that budget cuts forced the Police Department to pull back on its anti-gang unit. Now that's being reversed.

Braziel is using his $8.1 million federal grant to rehire 25 uniformed officers laid off this summer due to the budget crunch. They will be assigned to five teams – three specifically targeting gangs. Two will patrol streets watching gang members, while the third will investigate gang crimes.

The partnership plans to continue focusing on the Mack Road corridor for the next six months. Then, depending on money and community support, it might expand. The next two areas would likely be Del Paso Heights and Oak Park.

Citywide, police count more than 4,700 gang members. While overall crime has been dropping, gang-related crimes have been increasing; more than one-fifth of homicides from 2006 through 2010 were gang-related.

The city certainly isn't alone with gang problems. Sheriff Jones calls gangs "the biggest crisis facing the region."

With his department's $11.3 million grant, Jones will put 25 new deputies on a new task force targeting youth and gang violence that will also include existing deputies. The unit is expected to focus on enforcement and intelligence gathering; working in schools to intervene with at-risk youths; and collaborating with community groups. The department will also look to partner with the city police and police departments in other cities in the county.

The sheriff says the new effort "will give us an unprecedented opportunity to really turn the tide on youth and gang violence." The tide needs to be turned, in part, because the department gutted its anti-gang programs during recent budget cuts.

That just goes to show that law enforcement can't do it alone. Lots of research clearly shows the best anti-gang strategy is intervention and prevention – target the most dangerous and influential gang members and also mobilize schools, neighborhood associations and faith groups.

To defeat gangs, it really does take a village.

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