King City P.D. hiring six more officers

The new police chief of King City, Ron Forgue, is making good on his word, saying fighting gangs is a top priority. On Monday, it was announced the department is hiring six new officers who will be trained in gang intelligence.

Monday marked three weeks since Ron Forgue was sworn in as police chief in King City. His first order of business is to stop gangs.

“Gang violence is out of control right now and we will stop gangs,” Forgue said at his swearing in ceremony. “That’s my number one thing is to stop gangs.”

Three weeks later, he followed up on that promise. Chief Forgue says he’s hiring six new patrol officers who will train in ways to combat gangs. One includes hitting areas well-known gang members are known to frequent.

It’s all part of his 120-day plan, what he called a blueprint for change. All this is in an effort to rebuild trust in a community that has come to mistrust King City officers.
Trust is something Pastor Ken Reese, a member of the committee that hired Forgue, said is needed.

“I think trust is an issue that the community will be dealing with,” Reese said. “Without trust, it’ll be hard to be effective in any job.”

The South County has seen its share of violence. Just two months ago, four people were killed in separate shootings. These resources will surely help the collaborative effort between four South County law enforcement agencies. As this department gets ready to bring on six new officers, the city of Greenfield also wants to expand its force. Its latest hires are receiving training in gang intelligence.

“I think that is the biggest problem that affects all of is to some degree,” Reese said.

“It doesn’t stop at city limits,” Chief Forgue said. “If I have to go to Salinas to arrest a gang member, I’ll do it.”