Supervisor Glover: Keller Funds to Target Highway 4 Shooters

Contra Costa Supervisor Federal Glover announced today that he will be directing a portion of Keller Canyon Landfill mitigation funds toward technologies to catch, prosecute and deter gang members who are gunning down victims on Highway 4 in Bay Point and Pittsburg.

“We’ve had nine shootings on Highway 4 in a year,” said Glover, who represents Antioch, Pittsburg, Bay Point, Martinez, Hercules, Pinole and Rodeo on the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors. “These are violent gang shootings and we can no longer allow gang members to put our residents and their families in jeopardy every time we travel Highway 4.”

Glover said the Keller Canyon Landfill Mitigation Fund was approved by the Board of Supervisors in the early 1990’s when voters supported the creation of the Keller Canyon Landfill site in the hills south of Bay Point and Pittsburg. The funds are distributed each year, after a strict application and evaluation period, to public agencies and nonprofits committed to improving the quality of life in Bay Point and Pittsburg. In 2015, the County allocated approximately $1.4 million in funds to benefit the community.

“If these funds could pay for technologies that end up saving one person’s life and help law enforcement arrest and prosecute these shooters – that would make a huge difference.”

“I’ve talked to District Attorney Mark Peterson and Sheriff David Livingston, who have been meeting with the CHP and local law enforcement to come up with a comprehensive plan to deter, identify and prosecute those who participate in gang shootings along Highways 4, 242, I-680 and I-80,” Glover stated. “Once we identify the technology, I want us to have the funds necessary to put our plan into immediate action.”

Glover said that the Keller Canyon Mitigation Fund Review Committee is in the process of evaluating the 2016-2017 Keller funding applications and will be weighing the community’s needs with the important need to stop, identify and prosecute freeway shooters. In 2015-2016, $371,500 of Keller funds was allocated to the Sheriff’s Office, of which $10,000 was spent specifically for gang prevention. Glover said that, while the committee has not made any funding decisions yet, he will be re-evaluating Keller allocations, given the seriousness of recent freeway shootings.

“I will also be presenting a case before the Board of Supervisors for additional funding for Highway 242, Highway 4 through Martinez and Hercules, and I-80 in West County to address the shooting violence on our freeways,” Glover said.

Glover added that it is important to have funding identified so when the law enforcement task force has its recommendations, the County will be able to act swiftly to put a plan into place – noting that it’s about curbing the violence and saving lives.