For Immediate Release

March 22, 2004

RICE-GILL BILL ADVANCES TO CREATE GANGLAND SECURITY TASK FORCE

TRENTON - A bill sponsored by Senators Ronald Rice and Nia H. Gill to create a 26-member Gangland Security Task Force to examine how to redirect the negative activities of adult and youth gangs to positive community involvement was approved today by the Senate.

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 and corrections agencies deal with the rapidly growing influence of gangs in New Jersey .

"We need input from community groups to learn the best ways reclaim gang members for churches, families and neighborhood organziations," said Senator Gill, D-Essex and Passaic . "To make law enforcement more effective, there needs to be community voices to build the bridges from jail cells and dysfunctional families to positive life-building activities."

The measure, S-1110, was approved without opposition and now goes to the Assembly.

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.

"When gangs run the prison system, we're all at risk," Senator Rice said.

Professor John Smith, an instructor at Essex County College , testified earlier before the Senate Law, Public Safety and Veterans Affairs Committee that equal training for the State Police and local law enforcement agencies in how to deal with gangs is vital to any long-term strategy.

"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 be counter productive if the local residents of a community viewed the Gangland Security effort as one fostered on them by an outside occupying force."

While the Gangland Security Task Force would contain representatives from various cabinet members and law enforcement agencies including county prosecutors, chiefs of police, sheriff's offices and the State Commission of Investigation, 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.

The task force would be required to outline a course of action for the State to develop effective intelligence for monitoring gang activity, to deter parolees from returning to or joining up with gangs and to provide meaningful alternatives to gang membership. The task force report to the Governor and the Legislature would be due within four months.