ELGIN, Ill., Sept. 16 (UPI) -- A state's attorney says he is suing reputed gang members in Elgin, Ill., alleging their actions harmed the suburban Chicago city.
The lawsuit by Kane County State's Attorney John Barsanti seeks unspecified monetary damages from 70 alleged Latin Kings members and seeks to bar them from associating with each other.
The lawsuit alleges gang members "have threatened injury or caused injury to the people of the state of Illinois and the city of Elgin" and cost the city extra money in police salaries and other expenses.
If a judge bars associations of the named defendants, Elgin police officers who see two or more of them together in violation of the court order would be empowered to detain and search them, Barsanti's office said.
Police usually lack that authority because gang members are usually legally free to associate with other gang members unless they're barred through the criminal courts as a condition of bond, probation or parole, the Chicago Tribune said.
If police searching an alleged named gang member find drugs or weapons, they can arrest the person and charge him or her with one or more felonies.
The lawsuit, filed under the 1993 Illinois Streetgang Terrorism Omnibus Prevention Act, is an example of "another tool, another weapon," that authorities have and that "we're not afraid to use," said attorney and former gang prosecutor Patrick Crimmins, who is overseeing the lawsuit for Barsanti.
The alleged gang members were served with summonses to appear in civil court in Geneva, Ill., the county seat, Oct. 4 to 7.
If they don't appear, they could be cited with contempt of court or charged with a misdemeanor, the Daily Herald of Arlington Heights, Ill., reported.
Crimmins said he hoped a result of the lawsuit is that the county jail will become filled "with gang members jailed for contempt," the Chicago Tribune reported.
