Gilbert leaders create council subcommittee to investigate teen violence
The Gilbert Town Council on Tuesday approved the creation of a council subcommittee to investigate teen violence, but only after the council, which last year was fractured so badly that a mediator was brought in, debated whether to hand the work off to an existing task force led by others.
"I can't believe we're having a turf war up here. It's insane," said Councilmember Chuck Bongiovanni during the debate. "It's insane."
All council members in attendance ultimately voted in favor of the subcommittee. Councilmember Yung Koprowski was absent.
The council subcommittee's creation comes after an investigation by The Arizona Republic in December found that the "Gilbert Goons," a gang of mostly affluent teenagers, had engaged in a string of blitz-style attacks on other teens in the southeast Valley for more than a year, according to interviews, court and police records, and social media posts.
Parents, students and community activists have said Gilbert was a hub for most of the attacks and that members of the Goons were involved in the Oct. 28 fatal beating of 16-year-old Preston Lord in Queen Creek.
Last week, in response to residents' growing concerns, Bongiovanni and Councilmember Jim Torgeson, as well as Councilmember Scott Anderson, who was named vice mayor on Tuesday, proposed the creation of a subcommittee to look into teen violence.
The trio had small orange candles on the dais in front of them on Tuesday. They all volunteered to be on the subcommittee and were approved. The audience, which was filled with people dressed in orange in support of the #JusticeforPrestonLord movement, cheered the creation of the subcommittee.
Last week, Bongiovanni, Torgeson and Anderson said they wanted the panel to provide transparency, identify the scope of the attacks, and improve public understanding of the slow police response, which has outraged some parents.
The particulars of the subcommittee's work need to be defined. The subcommittee was directed to provide an update at the next full council meeting, scheduled for Jan. 23.
New council subcommittee or existing task force?
Although the only potential action before the council on Tuesday was the creation of a teen violence subcommittee, Councilmember Kathy Tilque suggested it might be more expedient to assign the work of understanding teen violence in the community to the existing Community Engagement Task Force.
That task force meets monthly and exists as a forum to discuss issues of social welfare, including "domestic violence, human and sex trafficking, mental health, suicide prevention, homelessness, low-income challenge, and ensuring Gilbert is a kind, welcoming and inclusive community," according to the town's website.
Mayor Brigette Peterson and Anderson said a task force may be less restricted in its methods than a council subcommittee.
Tilque also told the audience that she wanted the public to know that a subcommittee is restricted to three council members. Subcommittees need at least one person shy of a council majority. She said she didn't want members of the public to think the other four council members didn't care about teen violence because they could not participate on the subcommittee.
"We want to contribute," said Councilmember Bobbi Buchli, who suggested they might be able to find a way for all council members to be involved down the road.
Bongiovanni and Torgeson said they wanted a subcommittee so teen violence would be the sole investigative focus instead of it being added to the work of a task force with other responsibilities.
Subcommittees of elected bodies are set up for a specific purpose to make recommendations or consider conduct to be voted on "by the public body," according to state law.
Number of Gilbert police investigations into teen violence grows
Gilbert's elected leaders have said they stand by their Police Department and its chief. Some parents have accused authorities of failing to act and question if the Goons are being protected.
Police Chief Michael Soelberg initially said officers never connected the attacks because victims and suspects did not specifically mention "Gilbert Goons" — and the department did not have any police reports associating the Goons "to any alleged criminal activity." In recent updates online, the department stated victims have since referred to their attackers as associated with the group.
The department is now reviewing "cases, incidents, investigations, and calls for service involving teens from the last two years," according to its website. The review is meant to determine if there are connections among incidents. Officials are also looking into whether past incidents have links to the seven people Queen Creek police are seeking criminal charges against in Lord's murder.
On Monday, Gilbert police announced they are working with multiple agencies to determine if the Goons are a gang under Arizona law. The department also said it now has a total of eight active investigations related to teen violence. Half are reopened investigations, while the rest were previously unreported and recently received via online tips.
At Tuesday's council meeting, Soelberg said the department had opened a ninth, previously unreported investigation into an assault from November 2022.
Under investigation: Gilbert police working to determine if 'Goons' are street gang under Arizona law
Republic reporters Maritza Dominguez and Robert Anglen contributed to this article.
Elena Santa Cruz is a criminal justice reporter for The Republic. Reach her at elena.santacruz@gannett.com or 480-466-2265. Follow her on X @ecsantacruz3.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Gilbert Town Council votes to create teen violence subcommittee
