Thread: Street gangs in nearly half of Jersey's cities, towns

Street gangs in nearly half of Jersey's cities, towns
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 10/25/07

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articl ... 1/71025030

BY MICHAEL RISPOLI
GANNETT STATE BUREAU
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TRENTON -- Two hundred forty-four municipalities in the state are reporting to
be home to street gangs, and more than a quarter of municipalities with gangs report a "high intensity" presence, said a State Police survey released today.

The survey shows a 10 percentage point increase in gang presence from the last survey in 2004. The increases were across the board: 37 percent of North Jersey municipalities report a gang presence, up from 33 percent in 2004; Central Jersey saw an increase from 37 percent to 40 percent; and South Jersey saw its numbers more than double from 25 percent to 55 percent.

South Jersey's dramatic increase, however, could be attributed to 30 percent of
municipalities not responding to the 2004 survey. Camden, where a number of gangs have been known to reside, did not respond to the 2004 survey, but did in 2007.

Almost seven in 10 New Jersey residents reside in municipalities reporting a gang presence, the survey found, which makes gangs not only an urban issue but one for the whole state.

"Gangs are reported present in dozens of rural and suburban municipalities throughout the state. ... Clearly, gangs can not be considered an exclusively urban phenomenon in any part of New Jersey," the report said.

While gang-related homicides tend to be the "popular perception," the report said, "In fact, dramatic or extremely violent gang crime constitutes a small proportion of total crime attributed to gang members by municipal police agencies in New Jersey."

"Instead, the majority of gang criminality in New Jersey involves crimes of opportunity and emotional impulse, such as simple assault, shoplifting, burglary and auto theft," said the report.

Only Newark and Trenton reported having 13 or more gang-related homicides last year, the survey said. Though the survey downplayed the number of gang-related homicides in the state, the state health department's Violent Death Reporting System estimates that gang-related murders made up nearly 70 percent of all homicides.

The most populous street gang in New Jersey is the Bloods, in close to 90 percent of gang-riddled areas. Most of the gangs reported, however, had less than 50 members, and "often more like a dozen," the report said.

The number of municipalities reporting gang activity in schools went relatively unchanged, with the flashing of gang signs or colors being the most reported type of activity with "rare" occurrences of any violent crime.

Out of all 566 municipalities in New Jersey, the city of Elizabeth was the only one not to respond, and three others were determined to have errors and were omitted.

Michael Rispoli: mrispol@gannett.com

Thank you Bush!! Thank you Congress for up holding your oath of office to protect the citizens of this Nation!!