Pubdate: Sat, 22 Dec 2007 Source: Tallahassee Democrat (FL) Copyright: 2007 Tallahassee Democrat. Contact: http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/444 Note: Prints email address for LTEs sent by email FIGHTING BACK We Must Gang Up On Gang Terrorists While the overall crime rate has decreased in Florida, according to Attorney General Bill McCollum, gang-related crimes are increasing "substantially." That's a reality of great concern to medium-sized cities such as Tallahassee as well as to large urban areas where gangs are regrettably more a part of the streetscape. The capital city saw a spike in gang activity this past year with the Tallahassee Police Department reporting some 150 to 200 young people thought to be involved in gangs - including more and more girls. The Department of Juvenile Justice says gangs are recruiting youngsters as young as 10 years old. Statewide, reports the Florida Department of Corrections, there has been a 61-percent increase in the number of felony convictions of gang members over the past three years, a figure that no doubt prompted Mr. McCollum to host the two-day Gang Reduction Strategy Summit in the Capitol this week. Here in Tallahassee, the police have said about 10 shootings in the last two years have been tied to gangs. The findings of this summit about the pervasiveness and increase of gang activity largely due to drug trafficking may shock middle-class citizens who haven't given much thought to gang activity. But these days, no socioeconomic group is immune from gangs. They get bolder in areas where they feel there is not much competition in dealing drugs or committing other crimes - the situation police say they find here. Home invasions, which are far more dangerous and terrifying than burglaries that occur when no one is home, may be one signal that bolder criminals are at work, for example. Combating gang activity requires not only awareness but a broad battle front, including intervention and prevention programs aimed at identifying youngsters who are at risk of gang involvement. This is not just a law-enforcement problem, but one in which education and outreach must be ignited in schools, by churches, in youth clubs and recreation centers and definitely by parents, who must be willing to address the reality of their children's lives. Tallahasseeans have organized town-hall meetings to get parents, schools and neighborhoods informed and alert, and since last year a Gang Intelligence Work Group that includes law enforcement from various agencies from around the region has been meeting regularly. Gangs may be going about their business as usual, but there is no time to waste in coordinating comprehensive approaches to fighting back. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom