GANGS!

AG Brings Gang Reduction Strategy to Central Florida
Implementing Florida’s first-ever statewide gang reduction strategy.
Friday October 10th, 2008


Statement by
GOVERNOR CHARLIE CRIST
Regarding First Two Sentencings from
Indictments Issued by the Statewide Grand Jury on Gangs

“Our judicial system today has confirmed that asking the Florida Supreme Court to convene a statewide grand jury to look into gang activity was the right thing to do. I applaud the grand jury’s work, and thank them for fulfilling this important duty for our state.



“Today’s sentencing of offenders convicted of gang activity in North Florida sends a strong message to those who would desire to instill fear in our neighborhoods and communities. I commend the prosecutors for their diligence and hard work that led to the trial’s outcome.



“We must be vigilant to protect the people of Florida from gang violence. To that end, I thank Attorney General Bill McCollum for his continued efforts to develop a statewide strategy to reduce gangs and criminal gang-related activity.”








TALLAHASSEE, FL – Attorney General Bill McCollum and members of the Coordinating Council on Gang Reduction Strategies today joined elected and government officials, law enforcement, nonprofit group leaders and the business community in Central Florida to continue implementing Florida’s first-ever statewide gang reduction strategy. The strategy is being implemented using regional task forces throughout the state, and today’s organizational session at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee follows the inaugural task force meeting in St. Petersburg last month.

“Too many of our neighborhoods are held hostage by gangs in our state,” said Attorney General McCollum. “Teamwork, community buy-in and a regionally-focused approach are essential in dismantling and disabling criminal gang activity, which is what this statewide gang reduction strategy will accomplish.”

Gang activity in Florida has grown to more than 1,500 active criminal gangs with over 65,000 gang members. In Central Florida, evidence suggests there are more than 70 gangs with members and associates whose numbers greatly exceed 1,300. The prevalence of gang activity hurts business as well as neighborhoods, as organized retail theft costs the industry $32 billion nationwide every year.

"The relationship between organized retail crime and gang activity is clear. Attorney General McCollum is providing needed leadership and our business partners are responding,” said Rick McAllister, president and CEO of the Florida Retail Federation. “Clearly, public/private partnerships can change the game on illegal activities like organized gang theft. We encourage all Florida businesses to join the Attorney General in this important work."

Key to the strategy’s success will be a cooperative and collaborative effort that addresses the three key goals of stopping the growth of gangs in Florida, reducing the number of gangs and gang members, and rendering the remaining gangs ineffectual. Participants at the Region 5 Gang Reduction Task Force Organizing Session area are focusing on the areas of prevention/intervention, law enforcement, and rehabilitation and re-entry. Region 5 consists of Brevard, Indian River, Lake, Martin, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, St. Lucie and Volusia counties.

An important objective will be providing effective intervention programs for young people who are the most likely targets of gang recruitment and identified young gang members. Present at today’s meeting were representatives from the local Urban Leagues organizations and the Boys and Girls Clubs, as well as other community groups whose core missions are to provide Florida’s youth with a safe and productive alternative to gangs.

The law enforcement community actively participated in today’s initiative to discuss improving data collection and information exchange among state and federal authorities on gangs and gang members and their activities. This component will also focus on coordinating law enforcement and prosecution efforts by setting priorities and targeting the most problematic or dangerous gangs, gang activities and gang-related prosecutions all over Florida. Representatives from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, sheriffs, police chiefs, members of the Florida Highway Patrol and others were on hand to provide insight and begin planning how to meet their objectives.

The strategy also emphasizes the importance of working to provide gang members currently incarcerated with job training and other essential rehabilitation skills. One of the rehabilitation and re-entry objectives will be to expand opportunities for programs designed to help incarcerated gang members prepare for re-entry into society upon completion of their sentences.
Re-entry objectives include counseling and mentoring these former gang members so they will turn toward becoming productive members of society when released. The Department of Juvenile Justice, the Department of Corrections, and other parties with involvement in this particular aspect of the strategy were all present today.

More information about the gang reduction strategy and a full list of Coordinating Council members is available online at: http://www.safeflorida.net/safestreets. The next organizational session will be held in Ft. Myers on November 14, 2008.

All Troopers should be well trained on gang activity. The biggest issue with FHP over the years is in order to be trained, it seems you need to be assigned to a specialty unit. Example: the bread and butter of crash investigations. There are Troopers out there with no more training than they received in the academy. All Troopers should AT LEAST be trained through the Advanced course, no matter if they are off the road for the 80 hours. The excuse of lacking man-power is weak; even a FULL squad these days amounts to no more than one or two on the road, plus one Sgt. at their desk all shift. Train your people well and it will pay off, gang training included. You will come into contact with these people (gang members) in time.

All Troopers should be well trained on gang activity. The biggest issue with FHP over the years is in order to be trained, it seems you need to be assigned to a specialty unit. Example: the bread and butter of crash investigations. There are Troopers out there with no more training than they received in the academy. All Troopers should AT LEAST be trained through the Advanced course, no matter if they are off the road for the 80 hours. The excuse of lacking man-power is weak; even a FULL squad these days amounts to no more than one or two on the road, plus one Sgt. at their desk all shift. Train your people well and it will pay off, gang training included. You will come into contact with these people (gang members) in time.
GOOD POST

All Troopers should be well trained on gang activity. The biggest issue with FHP over the years is in order to be trained, it seems you need to be assigned to a specialty unit. Example: the bread and butter of crash investigations. There are Troopers out there with no more training than they received in the academy. All Troopers should AT LEAST be trained through the Advanced course, no matter if they are off the road for the 80 hours. The excuse of lacking man-power is weak; even a FULL squad these days amounts to no more than one or two on the road, plus one Sgt. at their desk all shift. Train your people well and it will pay off, gang training included. You will come into contact with these people (gang members) in time.


FHP, please stay on the interstate working fender benders and writing people for 10 over. If you need back-up I'm sure the Road Rangers would be happy to assist you. Please leave the real Police work to Officers and Deputy's. It is not necessary for you to receive Gang training. That would be a waste of tax payers money. Besides, FHP will be defunct in the year or two.

Thanks

[outspoken55]

All Troopers should be well trained on gang activity. The biggest issue with FHP over the years is in order to be trained, it seems you need to be assigned to a specialty unit. Example: the bread and butter of crash investigations. There are Troopers out there with no more training than they received in the academy. All Troopers should AT LEAST be trained through the Advanced course, no matter if they are off the road for the 80 hours. The excuse of lacking man-power is weak; even a FULL squad these days amounts to no more than one or two on the road, plus one Sgt. at their desk all shift. Train your people well and it will pay off, gang training included. You will come into contact with these people (gang members) in time.


FHP, please stay on the interstate working fender benders and writing people for 10 over. If you need back-up I'm sure the Road Rangers would be happy to assist you. Please leave the real Police work to Officers and Deputy's. It is not necessary for you to receive Gang training. That would be a waste of tax payers money. Besides, FHP will be defunct in the year or two.

Thanks

Getx8..very wise comments and I agree with you!!

Guest..get in the real world! ALL LEO's should be trained in gang activity as it is increasing nationwide at alarming numbers. The average citizen should also be given as much knowledge as possible to protect themselves (as a heads up), but not enough to interfere with law enforcement activities. When are people ever gonna learn that it costs a few dollars to be prepared, but millions to clean-up damage for being un-prepared?!?!

Getx8..very wise comments and I agree with you!!

Guest..get in the real world! ALL LEO's should be trained in gang activity as it is increasing nationwide at alarming numbers. The average citizen should also be given as much knowledge as possible to protect themselves (as a heads up), but not enough to interfere with law enforcement activities. When are people ever gonna learn that it costs a few dollars to be prepared, but millions to clean-up damage for being un-prepared?!?!



Get a clue, FHP doesn't have that money, jesus christ.

Getx8..very wise comments and I agree with you!!

Guest..get in the real world! ALL LEO's should be trained in gang activity as it is increasing nationwide at alarming numbers. The average citizen should also be given as much knowledge as possible to protect themselves (as a heads up), but not enough to interfere with law enforcement activities. When are people ever gonna learn that it costs a few dollars to be prepared, but millions to clean-up damage for being un-prepared?!?!



Get a clue, FHP doesn't have that money, jesus christ.

Jesus Christ the federal government does and if justified they cough it up freely. I don't recall seeing anything mentioned about where the funds would come from. You apparently don't read well.

Jesus Christ the federal government does and if justified they cough it up freely. I don't recall seeing anything mentioned about where the funds would come from. You apparently don't read well.



Yeah but the Federal Government isn't going to cough up money for the Florida Highway Patrol (<---the joke of Florida law enforcement) You think it's only a Florida secret that FHP is rediculous? Every law enforcement agency in North America knows that FHP is in the toilet and is just waiting for the ultimate flush. No way, economy good or bad, will the Federal Government give FHP money the funds for gang training.

Face Trooper, you just need to keep working your Interestate crashes until FHP is defunct.

Sounds like the TPD Gang does not want an other LEO's on their turf.

AN EDITORIAL:
The decent, law-abiding citizens of Tampa have been placed under siege by their own police force. Among other offenses, local cops are known to have concealed citizen complaints filed against fellow officers; falsified official police records; negligently discharged firearms (causing serious injury to innocent bystanders); engaged in sex with prostitutes while on duty; committed perjury, etc., etc., etc..
But that's not the worst of it. In addition to such run-of-the-mill misconduct, malfeasance, and incompetence, the Tampa PD, in cahoots with Tampa's arrogant political establishment, is enforcing a city ordinance that has been ruled unconstitutional. Evidently, the City Council and the Police Department simply have no regard for the US Constitution, the Bill of Rights, or the 1st Amendment.

Uphold the Law of the Land and Defend the Constitution? Forget about it-- if any Tampa cops ever swore such an oath, it seems that they've long since broken their word. Their primary function now is to enforce every idle whim of the city council. It's "Sieg Heil", as they march off to fulfill their orders.

The targets of this unconstitutional pogrom are among the most powerless, marginalized, and defenseless members of society. Who better for publicity-seeking politicians to pick on than topless dancers? The tactic is guaranteed to garner widespread media attention, and gain the politicians increased name-familiarity among the electorate. It's a very sordid and coldly calculating scheme.

If, after reading the stories below, you would like to express your concern regarding the deplorable condition of law-enforcement in the city of Tampa, visit the website of Bob Buckhorn, the Tampa City Councilman who is spearheading this oppressive campaign.

Sounds like the TPD Gang does not want an other LEO's on their turf.

AN EDITORIAL:
The decent, law-abiding citizens of Tampa have been placed under siege by their own police force. Among other offenses, local cops are known to have concealed citizen complaints filed against fellow officers; falsified official police records; negligently discharged firearms (causing serious injury to innocent bystanders); engaged in sex with prostitutes while on duty; committed perjury, etc., etc., etc..
But that's not the worst of it. In addition to such run-of-the-mill misconduct, malfeasance, and incompetence, the Tampa PD, in cahoots with Tampa's arrogant political establishment, is enforcing a city ordinance that has been ruled unconstitutional. Evidently, the City Council and the Police Department simply have no regard for the US Constitution, the Bill of Rights, or the 1st Amendment.

Uphold the Law of the Land and Defend the Constitution? Forget about it-- if any Tampa cops ever swore such an oath, it seems that they've long since broken their word. Their primary function now is to enforce every idle whim of the city council. It's "Sieg Heil", as they march off to fulfill their orders.

The targets of this unconstitutional pogrom are among the most powerless, marginalized, and defenseless members of society. Who better for publicity-seeking politicians to pick on than topless dancers? The tactic is guaranteed to garner widespread media attention, and gain the politicians increased name-familiarity among the electorate. It's a very sordid and coldly calculating scheme.

If, after reading the stories below, you would like to express your concern regarding the deplorable condition of law-enforcement in the city of Tampa, visit the website of Bob Buckhorn, the Tampa City Councilman who is spearheading this oppressive campaign.




yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn....going back to bed

Why would FHP need gang training? Last time I checked there is no check box for gang member on a UTC or crash report.

Sounds like the TPD Gang does not want an other LEO's on their turf.

AN EDITORIAL:
The decent, law-abiding citizens of Tampa have been placed under siege by their own police force. Among other offenses, local cops are known to have concealed citizen complaints filed against fellow officers; falsified official police records; negligently discharged firearms (causing serious injury to innocent bystanders); engaged in sex with prostitutes while on duty; committed perjury, etc., etc., etc..
But that's not the worst of it. In addition to such run-of-the-mill misconduct, malfeasance, and incompetence, the Tampa PD, in cahoots with Tampa's arrogant political establishment, is enforcing a city ordinance that has been ruled unconstitutional. Evidently, the City Council and the Police Department simply have no regard for the US Constitution, the Bill of Rights, or the 1st Amendment.

Uphold the Law of the Land and Defend the Constitution? Forget about it-- if any Tampa cops ever swore such an oath, it seems that they've long since broken their word. Their primary function now is to enforce every idle whim of the city council. It's "Sieg Heil", as they march off to fulfill their orders.

The targets of this unconstitutional pogrom are among the most powerless, marginalized, and defenseless members of society. Who better for publicity-seeking politicians to pick on than topless dancers? The tactic is guaranteed to garner widespread media attention, and gain the politicians increased name-familiarity among the electorate. It's a very sordid and coldly calculating scheme.

If, after reading the stories below, you would like to express your concern regarding the deplorable condition of law-enforcement in the city of Tampa, visit the website of Bob Buckhorn, the Tampa City Councilman who is spearheading this oppressive campaign.




yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn....going back to bed

Good night

I can't believe how bad this website is getting with hateful postings and name calling. uggg