Protecting Our Children: Gang Prevention

4/11/2008

The Wake County Board of Commissioners proclaimed the week of April 7-11, 2008, "National County Government and Wake County Government Employee Appreciation Week" in Wake County. The proclamation was made in conjunction with the National Association of Counties (NACo) National County Government Week, which is observed each April. This year, the theme for County Government Week is Protecting Our Children.

Wake County law enforcement works to protect our children each day through the Sheriff’s Gang Investigative Unit. Law enforcement also participates in the Wake County Gang Prevention Partnership’s efforts to promote positive youth behavior in the County. Gang prevention is one of the Board of Commissioners' priority goals for 2008.

Board of Commissioners’ Goal

Gang prevention is one of the Board of Commissioners’ goals for 2008. Placing this issue on the priority list indicates the Board’s dedication to significant and immediate improvements. Specifically, the Board has requested continued implementation of strategies recommended in the Wake County Gang Prevention Partnership Plan to bolster prevention efforts and reduce the prevalence of gang activity in the county.

Gang Prevention Partnership

The mission of the Wake County Gang Prevention Partnership (WCGPP) is to prevent youth gang activity and violence in Wake County through community mobilization, opportunities provision, social intervention, gang suppression, and organizational change and development. The goal is to create a community where youth and their families reject gangs and where gangs can no longer exist.

In 2003, the WCGPP was established to develop and implement a community-based, comprehensive plan to prevent youth gang violence, illegal activities and gang membership in Wake County. The Partnership has since grown from 17 to over 70 partners, representing diverse interests, backgrounds and geographic perspectives, with more joining monthly.

In February 2006, the Partnership launched its Plan to Reduce Gang Activity and Violence in Wake County. The plan was based on the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Comprehensive Gang Model: "A Guide to Assessing Your Community’s Youth Gang Problem." The Partnership’s plan outlines priorities, strategies and actions to achieve the WCGPP’s vision and mission.

The Partnership has also been influential in regional efforts throughout the County to assist youth, resulting in The Southern Regional Youth Development Effort and The Citizens and Youth Partnership for Eastern Wake. These regional progenies seek to increase the communication and collaboration between community partners in each respective town/city under the umbrella of WCGPP.

Most recently the WCGPP hired Shenekia Weeks, as Director of Gang Prevention. Weeks is a certified crime prevention specialist and Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) facilitator. She will lead the implementation of the Plan to Reduce Gang Activity and Violence in Wake County, and work toward increasing membership and strengthening existing WCGPP partnerships.

The WCGPP has quarterly meetings that are open to the public. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 21, 2008, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., at the Wake County Commons Building, 4011 Carya Drive Room, Raleigh. For more information about WCGPP, contact Shenekia Weeks at 919-250-4529.

Sheriff’s Office

In April 2003, Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison created the Intel Unit to investigate white-collar crimes. However, with the growth of gangs in Wake County, the Intel Unit began to focus more on gang activity and the crimes associated with gangs.

Today, within the Intel unit, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office has a Gang Investigative Unit (GIU), a proactive group of five investigators who gather intelligence about gangs and determine if that information is valid. In addition to monitoring gang activity both in the community and in the jail, the GIU conducts gang awareness presentations for parents, teachers and other law enforcement officers. These presentations include warning signs of a child’s involvement in gangs, ways to prevent children from joining gangs, and resources for parents and teachers.

As a member of the Wake County Gang Prevention Partnership, the Sheriff’s Office has helped develop ways to prevent youth gang activity and to stop the spread of violence associated with gangs. The Sheriff’s Office believes that placing school resource officers (SRO) in schools is one of the best ways to suppress gangs. With 24 officers in 21 middle schools and one high school, the SRO can be the first line of prevention in steering our youth away from gangs. To that end, our SRO’s have also been trained about gangs and work closely with our Gang Investigative Unit.

Real Life Mini-Documentary

The Public Affairs Office produced a mini-documentary on the gangs in Wake County in 2007. The 55-minute program asks experts about gangs in Wake County and explores the challenges of how the County will direct resources to combat this issue.

To view the documentary, visit www.wakegov.com/tv and click on the Real Life icon.

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