According to the 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment released by the National Gang Intelligence Center (NGIC), about 1.4 million gang members belonging to more than 33,000 gangs were criminally active in the United States, as of April, 2011….
The assessment was developed through analysis of available federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and corrections agency information; 2010 NDIC National Drug Threat Survey (NDTS) data; and verified open source information.
“Gangs continue to expand, evolve, and become more violent. The FBI, along with its federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners, strives to disrupt and prevent their criminal activities and seek justice for innocent victims of their crimes,” said Assistant Director Kevin Perkins, FBI Criminal Investigative Division.
Other key findings are as follows:
* Gangs are responsible for an average of 48 percent of violent crime in most jurisdictions and up to 90 percent in several others, according to NGIC analysis.
* Gangs are increasingly engaging in non-traditional gang-related crime such as alien smuggling, human trafficking, and prostitution. Gangs are also engaging in white-collar crime such as counterfeiting, identity theft, and mortgage fraud.
* Gangs are becoming increasingly adaptable and sophisticated, employing new and advanced technology to facilitate criminal activity discreetly, enhance their criminal operations, and connect with other gang members, criminal organizations, and potential recruits nationwide and even worldwide.
The following agencies contributed to the assessment: U.S. Department of Defense; Naval Criminal Investigative Service; U.S. Army, Fort Dix Criminal Investigative Division; Directorate Emergency Services USAG-HI; U.S. Department of Homeland Security; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; U.S. Border Patrol; U.S. Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Department of the Interior; Bureau of Land Management; U.S. Department of Justice; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Drug Enforcement Administration; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Federal Bureau of Prisons; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; National Drug Intelligence Center; National Gang Center; National Gang Intelligence Center; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Probation and Parole; U.S. Department of State; and numerous state, local, regional, and tribal law enforcement agencies.
