Violent Gang Task Forces

Violent Gangs webpage | FBI Home Page

In January 1992, we announced the Safe Streets Violent Crime Initiative, designed to allow each field office to address violent street gangs and drug-related violence through the establishment of FBI sponsored, long-term, proactive task forces focusing on violent gangs, crime of violence, and the apprehension of violent fugitives. The Violent Gang Safe Streets Task Force became the vehicle through which all of the federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies joined together to address the violent crime plaguing their communities. The FBI’s Safe Streets and Gang Unit administers 131 Violent Gang Safe Streets Task Forces and eight Violent Crime/Gang Safe Streets Task Forces nationwide.

These task forces pursue violent gangs through sustained, proactive, coordinated investigations to obtain prosecutions under the U.S. Code, Titles 18 and 21, including violations such as racketeering, drug conspiracy, and firearms violations. The Safe Streets Task Force concept expands cooperation and communication among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, increasing productivity and avoiding duplication of investigative efforts.

One of the key facets of a Safe Streets Task Force is the Enterprise Theory of Investigation (ETI). Combining short term, street level enforcement activity with such sophisticated techniques as consensual monitoring, financial analysis, and Title III wire intercepts investigations using ETI aim to root out and prosecute the entire gang, from the street level thugs and dealers up through the crew leaders and ultimately the gang’s command structure. For the past 14 years, the ETI has proven time and again how effective federal racketeering, drug conspiracy, and firearms investigations can be, whether it is providing the incentive for witnesses to cooperate or imprisoning the gang’s leaders for decades.

The following lists the Violent Gang and Violent Crime/Gang Safe Streets Task Forces by region nationwide.

CENTRAL REGION

Colorado

Illinois

Indiana

Michigan

Missouri

Nebraska

Ohio

Oklahoma

Wisconsin

NORTHEAST REGION

Connecticut

Delaware

Maryland

Massachusetts

New Jersey

New York

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

Virginia

Washington, D.C.

West Virginia

SOUTHEAST REGION

Alabama

Arkansas

Florida

Georgia

Kentucky

Louisiana

Mississippi

North Carolina

South Carolina

Tennessee

Virginia

Puerto Rico

U.S. Virgin Islands

WESTERN REGION

Alaska

Arizona

California

Idaho

Montana

Nevada

New Mexico

Oregon

Texas

Utah

Washington

Violent Gangs webpage