Criminal Gangs - What We Need to Know

We who live in Kootenai County may think we are isolated and immune from the problems associated with criminal gangs. If we think that, we're wrong.

For a good introduction to gang activity, read the 2005 National Gang Threat Assessment prepared by the National Alliance of Gang Investigators Associations under a grant from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, US Department of Justice.

The assessment covers several relevant topics including:

• Regional trends in the northeast, south, midwest, and west
• Gangs and drugs
• Gangs and organized crime
• Gangs and technology (cellphones, computers, the Internet)
• Gangs and terrorist organizations including domestic terrorist groups, international terrorist groups, and terrorist recruitment in US prisons
• Prison gangs
• Hispanic gangs
• Female gangs
• Gangs and Indian country
• Outlaw motorcycle gangs
• Community response to gangs

Some slightly different and equally useful information is also available at the National Alliance of Gang Investigators Associations website.