Sheriff hopefuls differ on long-term answer to gangs

While they agree stopping the violence is the immediate priority, the two contestants for Lake County sheriff have different views on the long-term solution to the problem of street gangs.

Incumbent Mark Curran, a Republican, said a hard line is the only way to deal with criminal gang members. Democratic challenger Douglas Roberts, a Waukegan attorney, contends education, jobs and hope are key to the solution for gangs.

Curran pointed to the 17 percent decrease in overall crime since he took office in 2006 and said much of it is a result of his proactive philosophy of crime fighting. He said office has targeted gangs and works with local, state and federal agencies to reduce their impact on honest citizens.

“They have declared war on society, and we have returned that declaration," Curran said. “We are working to make sure that the gang situation that has developed in Chicago and Cook County does not happen here in Lake County."

Roberts said he agrees gang members who act violently must be caught and prosecuted, and commends Curran for his efforts in that area.

However, he stressed that unless the root causes of youths being drawn into gangs are addressed, the problem will be with us for generations to come.

“The honest response to the gang problem is a very long and difficult process," Roberts said. “It requires us to make sure that children have a way forward that does not involve criminal activity."

Roberts said he believes that until all children in the county are provided equal education and job opportunities, gangs will be filling the void.

“You don't see kids joining gangs in Lake Forest, Highland Park or Buffalo Grove places where kids have a way forward in life," Roberts said. “You see it in the poor communities where the schools are failing and the families are failing, and kids see the gangs as a way to be respected."

Curran prosecuted gang crimes as a Lake County assistant state's attorney and assistant Illinois attorney general before a stint as a defense attorney before his election.

He said he has a “prosecutor's world view grounded in individual responsibility."

“Sure, there is a breakdown in a number of things societal that promote gang membership," Curran said. “But at the end of the day, what it boils down to is that there is evil in the world and people choose evil."

Roberts said he believes there are very few people in the world who are evil and that hopelessness is the motivation for joining gangs.

“The people in gangs have not chosen evil. What they see in the gang is a way forward," Roberts said. “I agree that they have to be dealt with firmly in the short run, but our grandkids will be having this conversation someday if we do not give them a way forward."

Curran said even a person without a full set of life options still must be held accountable for their decisions.

“I do not buy this idea that if they have jobs and so forth (the gangs would be finished)," he said. “No, they have made a conscious choice to choose evil; they have made a conscious choice to terrorize."