For Immediate Release

March 1, 2004

RICE-GILL BILL ADVANCES TO CREATE GANGLAND SECURITY TASK FORCE

TRENTON - A bill sponsored by Senators Ronald Rice and Nia Gill to create a 26-member Gangland Security Task Force to examine the activities of adult and youth gangs and their effects on communities was approved today by a Senate committee.

Senator Rice said he was particularly concerned with studying the relationships between gangs, prison inmates and parolees while Senator Gill stressed the need to involve grass roots community groups in helping law enforcement agencies deal with gangs in New Jersey .

"Without a bridge joining hands with the community groups, there will be only a one-sided approach," said Senator Gill, D-Essex and Passaic . "To make law enforcement more effective, there needs to be community voices at the table."

The measure, S-1110, was released unanimously by the Senate Law, Public Safety and Veterans Affairs Committee and now goes to the full Senate.

Citing the recent murder of an inmate by fellow inmates at the Essex County Correctional Center in North Caldwell , Senator Rice said non-gang members and corrections officers are at risk where gangs effectively control jail or prison.

"Something has to be done when the gangs are running our jails and stopping fights between rival gang factions takes precedent over the safety of others," Senator Rice said.

Professor John Smith, an instructor at Essex County College , said equal training for the State Police and local law enforcement agencies in how to deal with gangs will be the key to making any police strategy effective in dealing with gangs.

"There must be a well structured and committed relationship between both the State and local municipal police," said Professor Smith, a former Newark police officer as is Senator Rice. "It would counter productive if the local residents of a community viewed the Gangland Security effort as one fostered on them by an outside occupying force."

Earlier, Attorney General Peter Harvey and State Police Superintendent Rick Fuentes outlined the State law enforcement efforts to assess the criminal enterprises of gangs and their recent successes in cracking down on gang activity. Both stressed gangs are a statewide rather than just an urban problem in New Jersey .

While the Gangland Security Task Force would contain representatives from varfious cabinet members and law enforcement agencies including county prosecutors, chiefs of police, sheriff's offices, it also would include a substance abuse counselor, an expert in the psychology of aggressive behavior, a youth counselor, members of community and faith based organizations and two young people from cities with significant gang-related activity.