Law enforcement, public must work together

So what is law enforcement in the region facing this year? Well, drugs, gangs and increased senseless violence come to mind.

Former Chicago cop sentenced to 19 years in gang case

HAMMOND | The nearly two decades in prison given to a former Chicago police officer Friday is a "far cry" from the lifetime sentence he could have received, a Hammond federal court judge told the disgraced cop.

Chicago women sentenced in Latin Kings gang slayings

HAMMOND | A federal judge sentenced two Chicago women to years in prison Monday after they admitted to being involved in a gang-related murder, court records show.

Second day of Latin Kings gang member's trial focuses mostly on crimes committed by others

HAMMOND | The second day of Martin "Lefty" Anaya's trial on criminal racketeering charges focused little on the man himself.

Three Latin Kings enter into plea agreements

HAMMOND | Three more Latin King gang members entered into plea agreements with the government, leaving just a handful of defendants remaining for trial.

Two more alleged Latin King members plead guilty to racketeering

David "Flaco" Lira

Alleged Latin King fugitive turns self in; one still at large

HAMMOND | One of the two fugitives considered armed and dangerous in the Latin King case turned himself in Wednesday, while the other remains at large.

Feds indict 15 in Latin Kings crackdown, including 2 Chicago cops

David Lira is still at large. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact law enforcement at the following numbers: FBI agents at (317) 595-4000, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives at (219) 755-6310 or the United Marshals Service at (219) 852-6776.

Feds indict 15 in Latin Kings crackdown, including 2 Chicago cops

Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy speaks Friday about the two Chicago police officers who were indicted in a Latin Kings crackdown during a news conference at the Hammond Federal Courthouse.

Feds indict 15 in Latin Kings crackdown, including 2 Chicago cops

Paulino Salazar is at large. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact law enforcement at the following numbers: FBI at (317) 595-4000, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives at (219) 755-6310 or the United Marshals Service at (219) 852-6776.

Feds indict 15 in Latin Kings crackdown, including 2 Chicago cops

U.S. Attorney David Capp, of the Northern District of Indiana, announces during a Nov. 18 news conference in Hammond the indictments of 15 alleged Latin Kings members or associates, including two Chicago police officers.

Men with sawed-off shotgun are arrested in East Chicago

EAST CHICAGO | Two East Chicago men accused of possessing a sawed-off shotgun were arrested Tuesday by the Lake County Police Gang Unit.

Ex-bully talks to students about transformation to help others with faith

VALPARAISO | William Portillo is a reformed bully.

No death penalty sought in gang murder case

HAMMOND | Federal prosecutors will not seek the death penalty against five reported gang members accused of murder.

Police: Alleged gang member beat girlfriend, boy

PORTAGE | An alleged gang member with a lengthy rap sheet was arrested and faces a litany of fresh charges after police said he battered his girlfriend and her 10-year-old son.

Illinois man new defendant in Griffith gang killings

HAMMOND | Federal prosecutors have named a 29-year-old Illinois man as a sixth defendant in a Latin Kings drug and murder case.

Harvey man gets 95 years in student's death

MARKHAM | A Cook County judge on Tuesday ordered prison terms totaling 95 years for a now 30-year-old Harvey man, one of several charged with the 2007 shooting death of a Thornton Fractional North High School student.

Gary man's conviction in quadruple murder reversed

INDIANAPOLIS | An appeals court threw out the 240-year sentence of a Gary gang leader convicted in 2004 in a horrific, quadruple homicide and robbery.

E.C. fatal shooting nets 8-year term

CROWN POINT | Lake Criminal Court Judge Thomas Stefaniak Jr. sentenced a 19-year-old East Chicago man to nearly eight years in prison Friday for killing an acquaintance in an apparent street gang rivalry nearly a year ago.