65,000 Gang Members Active In Florida
POSTED: Wednesday, January 16, 2008
UPDATED: 9:32 am EST January 16,
2008
ORLANDO, Fla. -- There are 65,000 gang members in more than 1,000 different groups active in the state of Florida, according to authorities.According to a report ordered by the governor last year, the number of gangs in Florida and their membership are on the rise, Local 6 reported.The number of violent crimes committed by gangs is also increasing, the grand jury report showed.Members involved in the study said the state's overall effort to fight gangs has fallen short, Local 6's Jessica D'Onofrio said."Gangs are getting more sophisticated," Orange County sheriff's Cmdr. Victor Payne said. "They go from robbery to kidnapping to white-collar crimes to narcotics. They are trying to find different ways to fund their gangs and to get a name projected out for their gangs. We have to find creative ways to figure out into these gangs and do something with them."The grand jury said the way to address the immediate gang problems is to strengthen criminal statutes and eliminate loopholes. They also recommended modest increases in funding to law enforcement and prosecutors.Police, prosecutors and even gang members were interviewed to obtain information for the report.Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
Copyright 2008 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and Local6.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Copyright 2008 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and Local6.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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