North County Pleased With Crime Crackdown

"It's good to let the criminals know [police] are working together and we in the community are watching what is going on," he said.

Police work is an important part of revitalization efforts for Brooklyn Park, Carey said. A neighborhood there is under consideration for arts district designation, new residential developments are in the works, beautification and safety enhancements are under way, and a program is aimed at attracting business, he said.

Police, along with school officials, have been urging residents countywide to report gang tagging and suspected gang activity, and they are warning parents about signs that children are becoming involved with gangs or being bullied by them. Information is on the Police Department's and school system's Web sites, aacounty.org/police and aacps.org.

Bowen said he and others would like to see a list of names of people charged in the recent crackdown and locations that were searched. That, he said, would help residents know who to watch out for and which houses are associated with problems.

The raid, however, has brought out another group of people: door-to-door salesmen hawking home burglar alarms, and some of them lack the required licenses, Bowen said.