PEORIA, Ill. – Peoria Police Chief Eric Echevarria continues to claim while there is a violence problem in Peoria, there isn’t a gang problem.
At least, Echevarria says, that’s in terms of how he defines a gang.
“When you talk about gangs, you’re talking about an organized structure of leadership and followers,” said Echevarria. “There does not seem to be an organized leadership or hierarchy in what we’re seeing here.”
Echevarria says he and his staff won’t stop trying to solve the growing violent crime problem in the city, even if it’s proving to be difficult to do.
Echevarria — speaking to reporters Monday — says that’s despite something that’s concerning him about what he’s heard about it.
“We want to get to the root of the problem. But, nobody can tell me where this started from,” said Echevarria. “There’s a long history here in the City of Peoria that kind of indicates that there’s been a problem in two distinct areas.”
But, Echevarria says that’s not to suggest there’s a specific gang problem.
As we reported Monday, Echevarria says he’ll continue to hold talks with religious leaders, women, and others to help identify both problems and solutions.
