The Crips in Palmdale, Coming and Going.

Sheriff's deputies in Palmdale have been busy as of late, catching and cuffing 500 suspected scoundrels in an anti-gang push over the past three months. Deputies arrested 36 known gang members and contacted or cited 222 other gangsters. Since Sheriff Lee Baca convened the task force in March, street crime's down 15 percent.

"So far, the feedback has been all been positive," Sheriff's Lt. Bobby Denham said. "People have been telling me they've noticed a difference, and deputies have noticed a difference, too. It's been a morale boost."

Among the arrests deputies made were 217 for warrant violations, 111 for illegal narcotics possession and 14 for illegal firearms possession, Denham said. Our colleague Gideon Rubin's on the story up in the AV.

And speaking of the other Valley to the north, the folks at the AV Press have a story about a reputed Crip by the name of Deandre Brumfield, who was arrested recently in Alaska. Mr. Brumfield is suspected in the August 2005 slaying of Quinton Eugene Wright and the Press recounts the grim tale of how Wright ended up shot six times after the two exchanged words. According to the story, Brumfield used foul language around a woman, Wright asked him to stop and the two argued until Brumfield claimed the Crips. Wright said that could get him killed in the AV, then Brumfield allegedly drew a gun and killed Wright.

Deputies believe he fled to Anchorage, even sparser Crips territory than the fine city of Palmdale. Someone tipped off the state police and they grabbed him June 19.