“America is the greatest country in the world. No matter the circumstances of your birth, you can become anything you choose. But there is no future in being a member of a gang.”

Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, April 21, 2006

The National Gang Targeting, Enforcement & Coordination Center (GangTECC) began operations in summer 2006 as the national anti-gang task force created by the former Attorney General. In accordance with the former Attorney General's directive, GangTECC is a multi-agency center designed to serve as a critical catalyst in a unified federal effort to help disrupt and dismantle the most significant and violent gangs in the United States. The senior investigators at GangTECC come from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Marshals Service (USMS) and the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Department of Homeland Security. These federal agents work in close collaboration with the Gang Squad prosecutors in the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice, and with the analysts and others at the National Gang Intelligence Center (NGIC). They are among the primary consumers of NGIC intelligence. Specifically, GangTECC:

• Assists the initiation of gang-related investigations and enhances existing investigations and prosecutions.
• Aids in the coordination, deconfliction, and effectiveness of gang-related initiatives, investigations and prosecutions.
• Develops an enhanced understanding of the national gang problem and proposes strategies to neutralize the most violent and significant threats.
• Coordinates with and supports the National Gang Intelligence Center.

The goal is to achieve maximum impact at the national level against the most violent gangs in this country. To further this goal, GangTECC is intended to provide "one stop shopping" via phone and e-mail for local, state and federal investigators and prosecutors engaged in significant anti-gang efforts. GangTECC, through the participation of its member agencies, can offer either direct support for those engaged in anti-gang initiatives or can connect interested parties to appropriate officials to provide guidance or assistance. In many instances, specific assistance, coordination or access to information developed in related cases would be invaluable to an ongoing gang investigation or prosecution.

The Director of GangTECC is Adam W. Cohen