Politicians move ahead with county gang initiative

Courtesy photo. courtesy photo

Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) and Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards (D-Md.) and staff from the office of Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) met last week with Prince George's and Montgomery County officials leading the development of the Prince George's-Montgomery County Gang Initiative.

The initiative received a $2.7 million federal appropriation last year at the request of the three politicians.

Members of the committee provided an overview of its strategic plan to implement gang prevention and intervention activities, which it will submit next week for final approval by the Department of Justice.

"I am pleased with the progress the counties have made in developing a comprehensive strategic plan for the Joint County Gang Task Force," stated Hoyer. "Coordination between the counties is key to the success of this effort, and I believe their work thus far and the plan in place shows a commitment to that. This important initiative to combat gang activity in our communities is off to a good start." 

"I am pleased with the strategic plan developed by the Joint County Gang Task Force," said Edwards. "It is encouraging to see both counties come together and address the shared responsibility of gang prevention. To stem the rise in gang violence, coordination must continue throughout the implementation process, but this plan represents solid progress towards reducing gang activity in both Prince George's and Montgomery counties." 

"We continue to work with the counties on this important issue, and I want to applaud the progress they have made," said Van Hollen. "With an estimated 10,000 gang members currently in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., gang violence is a problem we must address head on and coordination is critical."

Upon notice of receiving the federal appropriation late last year, Prince George's and Montgomery counties, under the advisory of the Washington/Baltimore HIDTA, formed an Executive Steering Committee to develop and oversee the creation and administration of the PGMCGI. Since then the Committee, which is comprised of county law enforcement and social service officials, has met several times to develop the strategic plan focusing on three operational components: gang suppression, information and intelligence sharing and intervention/prevention.

The Steering Committee identified its goals as reducing crime and violence along the Prince George's/Montgomery County border and target areas, disrupting and dismantling criminal gangs operating in the region, enhancing information and intelligence exchange and combating the spread of gang activity through intervention and prevention. Once the plan is approved and funding is released, the PGMCGI will move forward with implementation.