SB County ranks third in nation in number of gang members

SB County ranks third in nation in number of gang members

Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/24/2011 07:12:43 PM PDT

San Bernardino County ranks third in the nation in its gang population, according to the FBI.
In its 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment released Friday, San Bernardino County came in just under Cook County, Ill. and Los Angeles County with 40,558 identified gang members. Cook County came in second with 60,125 identified gang members and Los Angeles County took first place with 68,208, according to FBI numbers.

San Bernardino County Supervisor Neil Derry said the proliferation of gang members in the county is a demographic trend dating back more than 20 years, tied to a migration of low-income families from neighboring counties seeking more affordable housing.

He said local law enforcement agencies are doing the

Findings of the FBI's 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment
* Gangs are expanding and "posing an increasing threat to U.S. communities.
* About 1.4 million active street, prison and outlaw motorcycle gang members comprise more than 33,000 gangs in the United states

* Gangs are responsible for an average of 48 percent of violent crime in most jurisdictions and up to 90 percent in several others.

Top three U.S. counties in gang population
1. Los Angeles, Calif: 68,208
2. Cook, Ill.: 60,125
3. San Bernardino County, Calif: 40,588

SOURCE: FBI
best they can, with the resources available in these trying economic times, to ensure there are enough deputies and police officers available to address the ever-rising number of gang members infiltrating city streets.
"It is a serious concern for San Bernardino County and it's going to be a serious challenge," Derry said.

The High Desert has been one of the biggest draws for gang members over the last decade due to the abundance of affordable housing.

County Chief Probation Officer Michelle Scray said the extension of the 210 Freeway has connected the High Desert to Los Angeles, facilitating the flow of transitory gang members and their families to the High Desert region.

San Bernardino County is home to

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roughly 1,100 criminal street gangs, and that number continues to grow as more gang members move in from neighboring Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. It has resulted in an average of two large-scale, multi-agency gang sweeps be conducted in different areas of the county on a monthly basis, sheriff's spokeswoman Jodi Miller said.
The latest sweep occurred Friday in Chino Hills and its surrounding unincorporated areas. Among the agencies assisting the Sheriff's Department included the Montclair, Barstow, San Bernardino and Upland police departments as well as the California Highway Patrol and the county Probation Department. Deputies arrested 41 people for various offenses, and six of them were documented gang members.

"It's critical for the ongoing safety of the citizens of this county," Miller said of the gang sweeps. "They have definitely been found to be effective."

Compared to neighboring counties, San Bernardino County has more than three times the number of identified gang members as Riverside County (12,957) and more than twice the number of Orange and San Diego counties, which have 15,106 and 14,699 identified gang members, respectively, according to FBI numbers.

Southern Califoria's gang problem reflects an alarming national trend that continues gaining momentum despite the best efforts of law enforcement.

Roughly 1.4 million gang members belonging to more than 33,000 gangs were criminally active in the U.S. as of April, according to the National Gang Intelligence Center, a Washington D.C.-based clearinghouse of gang intelligence established by the FBI, at the direction of Congress, in 2005.

Among the gang assessment's other key findings:

* Gangs are responsible for an average of 48 percent of violent crime in most jurisdictions and up to 90 percent in several others

• Gangs are increasingly engaging in non-traditional gang-related crime such as alien smuggling, human trafficking, and prostitution. In addition, gangs are also engaging in white collar crime such as counterfeiting, identity theft and mortgage fraud.

* Gangs are becoming increasingly adaptable and sophisticated, employing new and advanced technology to facilitate criminal activity discreetly, enhance their criminal operations, and connect with other gang members, criminal organizations and potential recruits.

Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Josie Gonzales called the news "very disconcerting."

"The information is cause for very serious concern," Gonzales said Monday.She said she is a strong supporter of District Attorney Michael A. Ramos's anti-gang task force, and that there are multiple mechanisms within the county to rehabilitate gang members.

Fontana Police Chief Rod Jones said he hadn't seen the FBI's report and hasn't see an increase in gang activity in his city, but would continue to coordinate with other police departments.

"Dealing with gangs remains a problem that faces every community, but I don't see in Fontana where residents have lost control of a neighborhood or it has gotten much worse," Jones said.

But that doesn't mean he's going to put his guard down.

"Absolutely it's a focus of ours - a concerted effort of all the law enforcement agencies in this area," he said.



Read more: http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_19185261#ixzz1blr3jcnN

How do they come up with these number. Did they just arrest 40000 people over the years that have been ID'd as gang members? or people talking and telling officials how many member are in they're gang. or a combination of different sources?