Check gang presence in your town
Gangs have spread throughout New Jersey, according to a State Police report. A file photo from a police headquarters taken in 2009 shows gang signs and markings.Street gangs in New Jersey have a foothold in almost half of the state’s municipalities and reach across all 21 counties, according to a State Police report released yesterday.
But the reality of gang activity, however grim, does not mirror widely held misconceptions about gang life, according to the report and interviews with law enforcement experts.
The 158-page survey is being applauded by police officials and experts for its depth and scope. Among the major findings:
• There are 244 distinct gangs and 1,575 gang subsets operating within the state.
• 54 percent of gangs in New Jersey are not involved in violent crime.
• 51 percent of gangs are not involved in drug trafficking, and the violence they do commit rarely has to do with the drug trade or turf battles.
• There is little cohesion within major gangs like the Bloods, Crips and Latin Kings, and rivalries usually break out among the gangs’ own subsets.
• Gangs have spread to 30 new towns and disappeared in nine others.
"It’s one of the best pieces of work like this I’ve ever read," said David Kennedy, director of the Center for Crime Prevention and Control at John Jay College, and a nationally recognized gang expert. "Not only for the depth of the data, but the intelligence with which they thought it through."
The report, authored by the State Police Intelligence Section, culls responses from 565 of New Jersey’s 566 municipalities as well as county law enforcement agencies. Only Elizabeth did not participate.
According to the report, gangs operate in cities, suburbs and rural areas in 45 percent of the state’s municipalities — up from 43 percent in 2007.
"In the 2010 survey, it was once again demonstrated that gangs were present in both urban and suburban municipalities, were relatively small, and that few gangs engaged in the dramatic and violent crime which most frequently brings them to the attention of the public," the report states.
But authorities warned the threat of gangs is very real. "Their negative influence transcends crimes by spreading fear and intimidation," Attorney General Paula Dow said.
Kennedy, who has consulted with police departments in cities throughout the United States, said the biggest problem in battling gang violence is widespread misunderstanding.
"Most of the violence isn’t for the purpose of the gang. It’s personal street stuff," Kennedy said, adding that a shooting is far more likely to occur over a personal slight than in defense of drug territory. Applauding yesterday’s report, he said ignorance surrounding gangs compounds the threat they pose. "Nobody has ever done what these guys have done, so all of those misconceptions continue."
SOME CRITICS
At least one New Jersey official believes the report accomplishes very little.
"There’s no followup from the State Police or other law enforcement agencies to help municipalities, so why participate?" said Elizabeth Mayor Chris Bollwage, who declined to participate in 2007 as well as 2010. "There’s no valuable law enforcement tool in this report."
Elizabeth reportedly has more than 20 gangs, with 463 identified gang members, the report states.
Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow said Bollwage’s stance is misguided and dangerous.
"Until you recognize that you have a disease, there’s no way to treat it," Romankow said. "So long as the administration is in denial, the residents of Elizabeth will continue to be terrorized by gang members."
The report, as well as authorities, warned against downplaying the threat of gangs.
"As far as Essex County, I can tell you we’ve had a gang presence in all of our municipalities and gang members are involved in a number of different criminal activities," said Thomas Fennelly, the Essex County chief assistant prosecutor and director of the homicide, gangs and narcotics units. With 4,967 gang members, Essex has twice the population as the second-highest county, Passaic.
Fennelly said the report was useful in identifying different sets, but he cautioned that gangs do not distinguish between city borders.
"We are a mobile society. In Essex County, a number of towns have common borders: Newark, East Orange, Irvington," he said, citing three of the cities with the highest gang populations. "The distinction upon municipal boundary lines doesn’t really exist."
Gang presence and activity has remained relatively static since 2007, according to the report, but officials warned that police resources have dwindled because of the economic recession.
Dave Jones, president of the State Troopers Fraternal Association, said cuts to police departments have made it more difficult to combat gangs and their influence. Gangs have only gotten worse, he said.
"It’s become more visible and more palpable," he said. "This a clear and present danger."
Staff writers Chris Megerian and Tom Meagher contributed to this report.
Read the full survey here (PDF)
By David Giambusso and Chris Megerian/The Star-Ledger