Date:                           April 21, 2008    
For information:         Sheriff Mike Kanalakis 755-3751         

Sheriff Mike Kanalakis is pleased to announce that the cities of Soledad and Seaside have been invited to join the Monterey County Joint Gang Task Force in the coming year. The salaries of one police officer from each city will be paid for one year through a grant made possible by a $1.3 million dollar federal earmark for the Monterey County Joint Gang Task Force: street violence and anti-gang project.

Both cities are expected to continue the cost of maintaining their officer in the task force after the one year federal funding runs out. The addition of the two officers will bring the total number of law enforcement officers to 17. In addition to these officers the task force also has a Deputy District Attorney and criminal analyst assigned.

The task force consists of one Salinas Police Commander, one Salinas Police Sergeant, four Salinas Police Officers, one Monterey County Sheriff's Sergeant, four Sheriff's Deputies, two Monterey County Probation Officers, and two California Highway Patrol Officers.


"The commitment by Seaside and Soledad reflects a determined resolve to attack this problem at the street level. No one agency or city can do it alone and with the two additional officers we now have representation from South County and the Monterey Peninsula" said Sheriff Mike Kanalakis.

The officers joining the team will become official after both city council's ratify the invitation by resolution and after the grant application is accepted and approved by the federal government. "This really shouldn't be a problem" said Sheriff Mike Kanalakis, "it has always been our intent to expand the unit by bringing in Seaside and Soledad."

For more information contact: Sheriff Mike Kanalakis at 831-755-3751
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office is located at 1414 Natividad Road in Salinas.