The Northwest Virginia Regional Gang Task Force

The Edward Byrne Memorial Discretionary Grants Program, administered by the Office of Justice Programs' (OJP's) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), furthers the Department's mission by assisting state and local jurisdictions in improving the criminal justice system and assisting communities in preventing drug abuse and crime. In fiscal year 2007, the Edward Byrne Memorial Discretionary Grants Program will focus on funding local, regional, and national efforts within six major categories: 1) targeting violent crime; 2) preventing crime and drug abuse; 3) enhancing local law enforcement; 4) enhancing local courts; 5) enhancing local corrections and offender reentry; and 6) facilitating justice information sharing. All categories combat, address, or otherwise respond to precipitous or extraordinary increases in crime, or in a type or types of crime.

The Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office is supporting the Northwest Virginia Regional Gang Task Force (NWVARGTF) funded under Category 1: Targeting Violent Crime. NWVARGTF will focus on reducing gangs and gang-related crimes while ensuring public safety. The goals of NWVARGTF are to: counter gang-related violence and property crimes in the region by utilizing numerous resources to identify, apprehend, and prosecute gang offenders; work closely with federal agencies to identify, investigate, and prosecute gang members responsible for violent crimes; gather and disseminate intelligence information through the Uniform Crime Reporting System and other databases; and continue to promote gang awareness by conducting presentations developed for schools, hospitals, law enforcement, and civic organizations. The Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office will fund the salaries of seven Gang Task Force Investigators and to fund advanced gang-enforcement seminars and specialized trainings to ensure investigators have knowledge and access to the latest technologies and strategies for identifying and documenting gang offenders.

CA/NCF