Davis, Van Hollen Hold Field Hearing on Anti-Gang Initiatives in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties

Press Release

Congressmen Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tom Davis (R-VA), and other members of the House Committee on Government Reform held a hearing today to examine the relationship between law enforcement and public and private organizations in combating Mara Salvatrucha ("MS-13") and other gangs in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties.

MS-13 activity is prevalent in the Washington, D.C. region and is particularly high in suburban Maryland. Generally, MS-13 members operate in smaller, tighter groups called "cliques," committing brutal murders, burglaries, car-jackings, robberies, extortion, rapes, robberies, and machete attacks. MS-13 is not dissimilar to larger-scale criminal organizations. In fact, FBI and other law enforcement organizations—both in Maryland and nation-wide—are beginning to approach combating MS-13 as a criminal enterprise with a distinct leadership and command structure.

While certainly high profile, MS-13 is not the only gang operating in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties. The Counties report gang activity by other Latino gangs such as MS-13's rival, 18th Street, as well as by the Vatos Locos. At the June 1, 2006 Gang Summit organized by the Maryland Governor's office, it was announced that, in the past year, MS-13 activity had declined and the number of Crips and Bloods gangs as well as mixed-race gangs had increased. While a decrease in MS-13 gang activity has been noted by law enforcement, the concern is that this activity is simply becoming more subversive and more difficult to track, highlighting the continued need for the best resources for intelligence gathering and processing.

Maryland law enforcement agencies have seen an increase in gang activity in the past year, particularly in areas such as Langley Park, Silver Spring, and Takoma Park. At the same time, law enforcement has seen gang activity spread out throughout the Counties, while strengthening in the densely populated areas. Similarly, federal agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have noted an increase in gang violence in Montgomery County by gang members residing in Northern Virginia.

Last year, in an ongoing effort to help law enforcement officials deal with the growing level of gang violence in the Washington metropolitan region, Congressman Van Hollen, working with his Virginia and Maryland colleagues, secured $2,375,000 in federal funding for the Montgomery and Prince George's Counties Joint Gang Suppression and Prevention Initiative (also known as the Maryland Regional Gang Initiative). The funding was included in the FY 2006 Science-State-Justice-Commerce Appropriations bill. The following is a breakdown of the funding.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source