Gang violence

March 3, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana Attorney General Mike McGrath on Monday joined all of the nation's attorneys general in sending a letter to Congressional leaders asking them to restore funding to the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program.    » read more »

March 3, 2008 -- Calling the funding essential to the operation of state crime and drug enforcement efforts, Maine Attorney General Steve Rowe, joined by the 55 other Attorneys General from all jurisdictions of the United States today issued a letter calling on Congressional leaders to restore funding to the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program (Byrne-JAG).    » read more »

March 03, 2008 -- Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway joined 55 other Attorneys General from all jurisdictions of the United States today in requesting that Congressional leaders restore funding to the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program. The Byrne-JAG Grants provide essential funding for the operation of state crime and drug-enforcement efforts.    » read more »

Grant funds support essential criminal justice programs in Florida

March 3, 2008 -- TALLAHASSEE, FL - Calling the funding essential to the operation of state crime and drug enforcement efforts, Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum today joined 55 other Attorneys General from all jurisdictions of the United States as they collectively called on Congressional leaders to restore funding to the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program.    » read more »

January 30, 2007 -- Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster announced today that the Gang Prevention Study Committee, created by the General Assembly in the 2007 Criminal Gang Prevention Act, has completed its Initial Report and Findings. The report was submitted to the General Assembly today.

The entire report can be viewed online: http://www.scattorneygeneral.com/newsroom/pdf/2008/gangstudy.pdf    » read more »

January 23, 2008 -- TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum today joined Senate and House leaders to announce tough anti-gang legislation targeting Florida’s growing criminal gang problem. The proposed legislation, sponsored by Senator Jeff Atwater and Representative William Snyder, will help law enforcement and prosecutors combat gang activity by streamlining the definition of gang members, enhancing the ability for prosecutors to include previous criminal actions under RICO charges, and creating a “Gang Kingpin” statute.    » read more »

Federal, state and local leadership share information and focus on solutions

December 19, 2007 -- TALLAHASSEE, FL – Bringing together federal, state and local expertise Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum today launched a two-day Gang Reduction Strategy Summit in Tallahassee. Designed to obtain input from stakeholders and other interested parties across the state, the summit is the next step in developing Florida’s Statewide Gang Reduction Strategy.    » read more »

Exchange of information from around the state is the next step in strategy development

December 18, 2007 -- TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum will bring together statewide policymakers and stakeholders for a two-day Gang Reduction Strategy Summit in Tallahassee beginning tomorrow, December 19, 2007. Designed to obtain input from stakeholders and other interested parties across the state, the summit is the next step in developing a Statewide Gang Reduction Strategy.    » read more »

December 14, 2007 -- PLANT CITY, FL – The Plant City Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that a total of ten gang members have been charged with criminal racketeering, three of whom were arrested this week during a coordinated sweep by local and state law enforcement. The defendants could each spend up to 60 years in prison if convicted of the charges.    » read more »

Brown Pride Locos targeted by state officials for organized crime

December 14, 2007 -- TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced a significant victory in the fight against gang violence with prison sentences obtained for four Manatee County gang members. The individuals were each charged with criminal racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering for their participation in Brown Pride Locos, a violent street gang that has terrorized Manatee County through robberies, assaults, violence against law enforcement and other dangerous crimes.    » read more »

10 members of SUR-13 gang arrested in Palm Beach County, charged with criminal racketeering

December 14, 2007 -- WEST PALM BEACH, FL – Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) today announced the first arrests and indictments of the 18th Statewide Grand Jury convened to study the growth of gangs and gang violence in the State of Florida.    » read more »

30 November 2007 -- Salvadoran President Antonio Saca met Thursday with U.S. President George Bush at the White House. Among the issues they were expected to discuss were ways to cooperate in the fight against organized crime, drug smuggling and gangs.

More than two decades ago, Central American street gangs began to spread in Los Angeles as small cells.    » read more »

McDaniel to Support Gun Ownership Rights for Citizens at High Court

Nov 27, 2007 -- LITTLE ROCK— Today, Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced his intent to support the Second Amendment as a “right to bear arms” for individuals, not just militia members, by joining a brief to be filed with the U.S. Supreme Court. Last week, the high court agreed to hear District of Columbia v. Heller, a lawsuit challenging gun laws enacted by the District of Colombia. The case is expected to be heard next spring.    » read more »

November 26, 2007 -- CHICAGO, IL – Anti-gang legislation approved by the U.S. Senate “creates a crucial balance between enforcement and prevention by providing federal resources for local police and prosecutors to investigate gangs and protect witnesses from retaliation, and by enhancing gang prevention and intervention efforts,” United States Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said at a roundtable discussion in his Chicago office.    » read more »

The New Program Will Use Civil Enforcement To Take Legal Action Against Landlords of Crime-Plagued Properties in Communities Across the State

ALBANY, N.Y. (November 8, 2007) – New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo today unveiled “Nowhere to Hide” – a new program under his statewide Guns, Gangs and Drugs Initiative designed to take legal actions against landlords who permit the properties to be persistently used for criminal activities.    » read more »