TOLEDO, Ohio — Sgt. Mel Stachura with Toledo Police Department's gang unit says there's no one simple answer to the question of how gang members get sucked into the lifestyle of stealing, murder, and dealing drugs.
But Stachura has seen firsthand that it starts at home with parents looking the other way or even encouraging crime.
"When we tell them 'we found them with a gun, they were shooting at somebody,' I mean the accountability with some parents is just...they want to be more friendly with their kids as opposed to a parent," Stachura said.
Stachura shared his insights with WTOL 11 in a wide-ranging interview about the work of Toledo's gang task force. He discussed where gang territories are in the city and how Toledo's gang members are increasingly younger and better armed.
Stachura said for the few parents who try to steer their kids in the opposite direction, it's an uphill battle. Too often kids are surrounded by influences telling them there's respect and money to be earned from gang life. Stachura said he's been working the streets long enough now that he can see it's becoming a generational problem.
"When I first came on, the guys that are now dads raising their children we were arresting, and I talked to their parents, and now I'm talking to...I mean I'm going through generations," he said. "And the same thing comes down to the younger folks act out and they don't respect the older ones."
That means the pieces of advice the older gangsters give to the younger ones, such as settle your differences with your fists instead of your gun, have gone completely out the window.
But once these young gang members actually do pull that trigger and police take them away in cuffs, all Stachura sees is the face of a scared child, lost in a vicious cycle.
"So when we're arresting these 14, 15, 16 year olds during shootings, they're like, 'oh I didn't mean to.' and I don't think some of these youthful offenders know the consequences," he said. "It's not adding up yet."
Stachura said the only way to discourage kids from joining gangs is to help them understand gang life only offers three outcomes: They go to prison, they end up in a coffin, or they walk away from that life.
He said the sooner someone chooses to walk away, the more likely they won't make mistakes that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.
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