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| Uniting against a global criminal world |
| By Sarah Etter, News Reporter |
| Published: 04/23/2007 |
If you ask the director of the Center for Rural Preparedness and Emergency Services at Southern Vermont College, there is one problem that constantly seeps into all levels of the criminal justice field.“The spread of gangs is an issue for everyone,” Bill Sturgeon says. “Communities, local law enforcement and corrections agencies are all dealing with the same problem. If you think gangs aren't in your community, then they could be. So we wanted to look at strategies that bring everyone to the table. That's the only thing that will work.” Sturgeon teamed up with the Bennington Police Department to develop the Seminar on Gangs in Rural and Suburban America, which was held at Southern Vermont College last week. Professionals from all areas of the criminal justice sector, like former deputy director of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services Joseph Marchese, Lt. Joseph McDyer from the Massachusetts State Police Department and Sgt. John Colaneri, East Coast Gang Investigators Association Vice President, offered their expertise about organized crime during the eight-hour conference. “These speakers are so versed in gangs and gang culture. Many of them are cross-trained in narcotics, which just expands their expertise. I chose them to create a good, practical day of useful theory and education,” Sturgeon says. “Anyone who attended this conference walked out with information they could start to use the very next day.” Promoting a plan to unite departments in the criminal justice arena, from local law enforcement to corrections agencies, topped the agenda. “The one thing we need to work on is the sharing of intelligence,” Sturgeon says. “The problem with gangs, whether in or out of prison, is that each agency has information another person might need. Those working in the streets need to know what's going on behind bars with prison gangs. Those in working in prison need to know things that street folks have access to every day.” Another important topic was the migration of gangs from major cities into local neighborhoods. “Gangs are following methamphetamine manufacturing. They go where the drugs are, where the profit is. Wherever there is an opportunity to make drugs, you will find them,” he explains. “Just driving around rural America, you don't have to be a gang expert to see their presence. There are graffiti tags on buildings, and it might not necessarily be organized gangs like the Bloods or the Crips, but you can tell they are there.” Although most people believe structured gangs, like the Bloods, pose the biggest threat to their communities, Sturgeon says local, lesser-known gangs are just as dangerous. “The wanna-be gangs have something to prove,” adds Sturgeon. “They are in it for the violence. They run around shooting people and running drugs. They are probably just as dangerous, if not more dangerous, as a gang like the Latin Kings on a local level.” Conferences like this will keep any criminal justice professional at the forefront of gang activity, and also highlight the progress law enforcement and corrections has made in fostering teamwork. “Intelligence is starting to jump back and forth between agencies and departments,” Sturgeon says. “This isn't like the old days. This is a global criminal world. In the big family of criminal justice, divides cannot exist any more. That's how gangs win.” Related Resources: East Coast Gang Investigators Association |
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