McCollum’s plan: Get tough on gangs
By Amy L. Edwards
Orlando Sentinel
ORLANDO, Fla. — Attorney General Bill McCollum outlined his strategy for fighting gangs Tuesday, calling the increase in gang violence across Florida in recent years “alarming.”
McCollum’s plan, aimed at reducing the number of gang members in Florida and stopping gang growth, involves prevention, law-enforcement and rehabilitation for gang members already incarcerated.
The Attorney General’s report said the number of gang members and gangs in Florida is unclear.
One recent survey conducted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement showed there were more than 65,000 identified gang members in the state and at least 1,500 gangs.
But the Attorney General’s report said that survey is incomplete and may include duplications. A “very sizeable” number of law-enforcement agencies failed to respond to the survey.
While the exact number of gang members in Florida may be unclear, the number of crimes they are committing continues to expand.
The number of felony convictions for gang members increased from 2,759 in the 2004-05 fiscal year to 4,447 in 2006-07, the report said.
“Today we are presenting a blueprint for a safer Florida,” McCollum stated.
One objective of the gang-reduction strategy is to provide intervention programs for young people who are the most likely target of gang recruitment. Groups such as the Florida Urban Leagues, Boys & Girls Clubs and NAACP will be critical to the strategy’s success, McCollum’s report said.
“It’s harder to reach kids once they become part of a gang,” said Gary Cain, president of Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida.
The gang-reduction strategy also emphasizes providing job training and mentoring to gang members who are currently incarcerated, so that when they are released, they will turn away from the gang. The report said about 4,000 state prison inmates have been identified as gang members.
Several objectives are identified for law enforcement, including dismantling every major criminal gang in the region. The most violent and dangerous gangs should be the first priority.
“The idea is to take down as many gangs as possible within the region in a systematic fashion and try especially hard to put away the gang kingpins/leaders for life or for an extremely high number of years,” the report said.
Copyright 2008 Orlando Sentinel