Fighting gangs with intelligence

 

 

Two law enforcement agencies are teaming up to combat gangs in Bergen County.

The offices of county prosecutor and sheriff announced Monday the formation of the Bergen County Multi-Agency Gang Task Force, which will gather gang intelligence and share it through a database with local police departments.

"By combining the abilities of our two agencies, we can gain a detailed understanding of how gangs are attempting to operate in Bergen County and dismantle these criminal organizations before they have a chance to set up shop," Prosecutor John Molinelli said.

"The key is the use of a countywide criminal intelligence-gathering network," he said. "There's always been gang intelligence, but not on this scale."

Sheriff Leo McGuire said he has assigned two officers at the county jail to head an effort to glean information from the more than 900 inmates about gang activity and how gangs operate in the county.

"We need to cultivate that information that's sitting there and share it," McGuire said. "Inmates will speak about things. Sometimes they're proud of their gang affiliation or things going on. We also have to continue to train our officers in interviewing techniques."

The database will allow police departments to share data and explore possible gang links in crimes.

For example, if local police are investigating a drug deal, they can see if suspects have gang affiliations.

They also can use the database to look for signs of gang activity, such as certain graffiti markings or tattoos.

"You have criminal activity that occurs in the 70 towns [in Bergen County]," McGuire said, "and right now they might not have the information at their disposal to realize that it's part of a bigger picture."

The suburbs are fertile ground for gangs, police say: Expensive cars and homes might be targeted for thefts, and affluent communities can be prime real estate for the drug trade.

According to a recent state survey, 29 percent of Bergen County municipalities reported a gang presence, compared with 33 percent of municipalities statewide.

While he could not immediately provide statistics, Molinelli said gang-related activity in Bergen County has increased over the past few years. Most incidents involve drugs, he said.

"We're not going to see gang members walking down Main Street in Bergen County," Molinelli said. "But we can't assume that because we're Bergen County we'll never have gang problems.

"Gangs are a business, they're in the business of narcotics and money-laundering, and they operate in a business fashion."

Molinelli said the $1.5 million database will be rolled out over 18 months.

Passaic County has had a gang suppression unit for two years. Prosecutor James Avigliano's office heads the group, which works with the Sheriff's Department and the Paterson Police Department.

"They've made something in the neighborhood of 340, 350 arrests," Avigliano said. "They've done an outstanding job."

In 2003, the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office estimated that 79 criminal street gangs operated countywide, with a total membership of 2,700 to 3,000.

There are about 17,000 gang members and 691 active gangs in New Jersey, the state survey found.

New Jersey State Police Capt. William DiGiuseppe, chief of the street gang bureau, said the state police are introducing an intelligence database that will provide gang information to county and local law enforcement agencies.

He praised the Bergen initiative, saying "it's a great way to attack the gang problem."

E-mail: aberback@northjersey.com

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What it means

What's new: The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office and the Sheriff's Department have formed a Multi-Agency Gang Task Force to combat the gang problem.

What's next: The agency will create a database that will allow the county and all 68 municipal police departments to share and access gang intelligence.

What they're saying: "We can't assume that because we're Bergen County we'll never have gang problems." - John Molinelli, Bergen County prosecutor