VISTA -- Sheriff's Sgt. Scott Black keeps a binder filled with photographs of local gang members by his side at all times. Having previously worked as a gang detective in Vista, he knows many of the young men and women by their first names.

Still, it's going to take more "intelligence gathering" to identify everyone participating in Vista's gang culture, he said.

Last month, Sheriff's Capt. Ed Prendergast chose Black to do just that, appointing him supervisor of the city's first gang-suppression team, which identifies, monitors and apprehends gang members.

Meanwhile, the department says it is developing a collaborative plan with the city of Vista, the Vista Unified School District and social services agencies to combat gangs.

Representatives of the various agencies are holding a series of meetings to discuss gang issues and by summer they hope to blend their best prevention, intervention and suppression tools into a comprehensive strategy, Prendergast said.

"We're trying to look at the existing programs that are out there to make sure that they're all working and pulling in the same direction," Prendergast said.

Black, a graduate of Vista High School and a 21-year veteran of the department, said his gang-suppression team is ready to hit the ground running.

"We're high-visibility," Black said of the three-man squad, which is designed to keep uniformed deputies in regular contact with Vista gang members and their affiliates. "We're going to be out there all the time."

Vista's gang picture

Gangs have long had a presence in Vista. In 2004, according to San Diego Regional Gang Task Force figures, the Vista Home Boys, the city's only turf-based gang, accounted for more than 300 of the roughly 2,230 gang members and associates that were spread throughout North County.

Black said the number of gang members fluctuates depending on how many are behind bars, but he gave what he said was a conservative estimate of 250 documented gang members and associates now living in Vista.

Authorities say that gang problems have become less visible in Vista over the past few years, but they haven't disappeared. They say that graffiti is a consistent problem in some neighborhoods and that a teen with documented ties to a large Latino gang was shot and killed in December in Wildwood Park.

In addition, a suspected robber who was shot and killed by Vista sheriff's deputies in August 2005 was a documented member of the Vista Home Boys, authorities have said.

The gang has been around for four, possibly five generations, Black said. Some members are in their 40s and 50s, but lately, "we're seeing a younger clientele," with kids as young as 10 or 11 getting involved, Black said.

Most gang-related crimes in Vista involve graffiti, theft or fighting, Black said. Drug use is still prevalent, but "we're not seeing the gun violence we used to see," he said.

Prendergast said approximately 60 percent of Vista's graffiti is gang-related. Most of it can be found in Townsite and near Primrose Avenue and Palmyra Drive, Black said.

Still, Black added, it's rare to find groups of gang members hanging together, thanks to a civil court order made permanent in 2005 that bars 89 alleged members of the Vista Home Boys from congregating, fighting, flashing gang signs and other activities in three areas of the city.

Those named in the so-called gang injunction can be fined and given six-month jail sentences for violations.

Advocates of gang injunctions say they make communities safer. But critics say they violate civil liberties and target those who can't afford attorneys to represent them.

Black said injunctions have been necessary tools in North County, but noted that they have probably helped scatter some gang members. In Vista, authorities are now seeing members of Oceanside, San Marcos, Escondido and even Carlsbad street gangs, Black said.

"It causes us concern that there are gang members from other jurisdictions that may be visiting Vista or living here," Prendergast said.

New tactics

Black said his team's initial focus is identifying gang members to find "who's out there." Once the targets are identified, he said, the team works with probation and parole officers, as well as the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, to hunt them down.

"We want to actively be seeking out gang members on a daily basis, arresting them and making sure they're not committing any violations," Prendergast said.

Black's suppression team is separate from the street narcotics and gang detail, which investigates gang-related crimes. It won't all be hard-charging police work for Black's team. He plans to incorporate an educational component, such as meeting with parents and community groups to boost gang awareness.

"I don't mind putting people in jail, but if I can keep people from going there, that's good, too," Black said.

A "comprehensive plan"

The city and its partner agencies recently launched a series of brainstorming sessions to help them develop their "comprehensive anti-gang plan."

The process kicked off Wednesday when 17 representatives of civic, law enforcement and social service groups gathered in the Vista Library to discuss the efficacy of more than a dozen gang intervention and prevention programs. After taking stock, they discussed ways of filling in the gaps.

One suggestion was a "drop-in center" in the low-income Townsite neighborhood, inviting youths to play video games or participate in recreational activities. Another was a boxing program at the San Diego County Office of Education's Juvenile Court and Community Schools, commonly known as summit schools.

Hector Gomez, a senior at Rancho Buena Vista High School who is an intern for the city, came up with the idea of a teen football program that would attract students who are ineligible or uninterested in school athletics.

"All of my friends, generally, are into football," Gomez told the group.

Three more focus groups are slated to discuss the roles of the Vista Unified School District, the Sheriff's Department and Vista residents.

By the summer, the information gleaned from these meetings will be compiled into a document with short- and long-term goals, said Kathy Valdez, the city's community outreach programs manager.

The Vista school district teamed up with the city last year to add a sheriff's deputy to each of the district's mainstream high schools, in part because administrators were concerned about gang problems spilling onto campus.

Concerns were spelled out in a letter than then-interim Superintendent Darrel Taylor sent to the city of Vista in May, asking it to support the school deputy proposal.

Gayle Olson, the district's director of student support services, said last week that there are no documented gang members enrolled in district schools, but "wannabes" and those who "walk the walk" are a concern.

She said the signs of gang influence can be seen on campuses in subtle or overt ways.

"Maybe you see a notebook and there's a certain style of writing, or certain types of phrases," she added. "And then, of course, there's the physical appearance, the dress."

Olson said collaborating on an anti-gang strategy is crucial because students, especially those on the cusp of gang activity, only spend part of their lives under the district's care.

"I don't think we can operate as an island in this day and age," she said. "We need to look at the bigger picture. … The more we work together, the better it is for the community."

Contact staff writer Craig TenBroeck at (760) 631-6621 or ctenbroeck@nctimes.com.