Gangs in Anchorage

Doogan pay heed to the headline.

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/crime/story/7872274p-7765811c.html

Gangs have been a problem.

What stands out in this article on a political note is this:

Since last spring, when the mayor announced the formation of the city's gang task force, police and other law enforcement authorities have begun compiling a database of gang members, which includes criminal history and reports of gang-type activity from various sources. Once on the list, a gang member has to stay clean for five years to be removed, Plummer said.

If Begich was so concerned in 1997, why the delay in implementing a gang task force almost three years into his first term?