The National Gang Targeting, Enforcement & Coordination Center (GangTECC) began operations in summer 2006 as the national anti-gang task force created by the Attorney General. In accordance with the 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). 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.
GangTECC, through the participation of its member agencies, can offer direct support for those engaged in anti-gang initiatives or can connect interested parties to appropriate officials to provide guidance. In many cases, specific assistance, coordination, or access to information developed in related cases is invaluable to an ongoing gang investigation or prosecution. The goal is to achieve maximum impact at the regional and national level against the most violent gangs in the country through effective de-confliction and coordination by combining the strengths of each federal law enforcement agency.
“I consider it my responsibility as Attorney General to create an atmosphere and to set expectations that the entire Department will function together… and cooperate… The stakes are too high here to tolerate anything else.”
Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey, November 11, 2007
The Director of GangTECC is Adam W. Cohen |
