Gang Makes Sweeping Change : Van Nuys: Members of Bad Boys clean up around an apartment complex they once tagged and terrorized.

Bad Boys gang members used to run to this alley for safety when they spotted LAPD Officer Angel Munoz bearing down on them.

This time was different. This time gang members walked somberly to the middle of the alley, tossed aside their jackets, and grabbed the handles of something Munoz would respect.

Brooms.

Working under the watchful eyes of Munoz and several other officers, a dozen Bad Boys gang members Wednesday traded guns for brooms to sweep fear from the Van Nuys apartment building that they once tagged and terrorized.

“There is no running anymore,” said Ralph, a soft-spoken, burly Latino who would not give his full name, fearing gang retaliation. “We want to make a positive impact on the community.”

“A few weeks ago, they just showed up and said they wanted to clean,” said former police officer Hector Rodriquez, manager of the Hayvenhurst Avenue complex. “This building used to be plagued by gangs. There were drug dealings, murders. This is fantastic.”

The youths, who ranged in age from 12 to their mid-20s, sported sunglasses, tattoos and a few Raiders jackets as they swept beer bottles, food wrappers and dust into waiting trash bins. During breaks, they chatted with officers and snacked on coffee and doughnuts.

The four hours of work helped wash away the memory of a decade of destruction, when members of the Bad Boys claimed the apartment complex as their turf, challenging anyone who tried to halt their activities in the 91-unit complex.

Lives were threatened, children were told not to play outside and two bodies appeared on the front lawn. Police said six area homicides had been attributed to the 70-member gang in the last 2 1/2 years.

Since December, however, the animosity between police and gang members has begun to fade--replaced by an unusual feeling of respect.

Recognizing the opening provided by last summer’s gang truce, officers with the Van Nuys station’s anti-gang CRASH unit opened a dialogue with the gang. And Rodriquez, an ex-police officer from North Hollywood, tried politely asking gang members to curb their activities--instead of calling the police to run them off the property.

Ralph, who had lived in the building for 10 years, made a deal to remove the gang from the premises, including the back-alley drug trade that had financed the gang’s activities.

“Since we started talking to them, it’s made a lot of difference,” said Ralph, who said he has been in prison four times. “We’ve realized, ‘What good is it going to do to keep fighting among ourselves?’ ”

In return, Munoz promised to help find jobs for gang members, some of whom are undocumented and speak limited English. The first job, at a movie studio, begins for one of the members next week.

“They’re starting to realize that gangbanging has no future,” said Munoz. “We cannot solve all the problems, just guide them where to go.”

Some thankful tenants of the building appreciate that guidance. One 47-year-old woman, who asked not to be identified, said she no longer fears the gang that once threatened her because they believed she was a snitch.

“Now when the gang boys see me walking home, they say ‘hello’ to me,” said the woman. “This is a good example for the rest of the gangs.”