Gangs and the Safety of our Families
 
As of March, 2007, there were over 300 known gangs in IL with 99,436 known gang members. That number is now over 100,000. Last year, Lake County alone had 2,115 known gang members; however officials believe there are thousands more.
 
Steve met with numerous gang and drug specialists, police chiefs and special taskforces to learn what the federal government could do to assist first responders as they combat gangs. In addition he had the opportunity to observe local law enforcement on anti-drug and anti-gang operations.
 
Through these unique experiences he noticed two glaring shortcomings our law enforcement is faced with. First is a lack of funding. The Byrne Grant, an essential tool to combating gang and drug violence, has been targeted for cuts by Congress, reducing the funding from nearly $900 million in 2002 to $170 million for 2008. This puts many anti-gang and anti-drug operations at risk. Also, no investigative system exists to track known gang members.
 
As a result Steve proposes that Congress restore funding to the Byrne Grant. In addition he proposes legislation to push the creation of a national gang database, which would serve as a conduit between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. It would also serve as an investigative tool, which would allow first responders to act proactively to ensure our families’ safety.
 
Click here to read the proposals in full.
 
More Info:
More money needed to combat gangs
Steve Greenberg’s Federal Proposals to Combat Gangs in our Community
Gang Roundtable Pictures
Thanks to Greenberg for Addressing Gangs

Hats off to Greenberg on Gangs