50,000 Gang Members in State of FL

By pnj.com
Published: 03/01/2010

TALLAHASSEE — Florida has about 1,100 criminal gangs with nearly 49,000 members, Attorney General Bill McCollum said.

McCollum, who made combating gangs a main issue of his 2006 election campaign, has released the first progress report of his inter-agency council on the problem.

He said seven regional task forces — working with police agencies, educators, parents and community leaders — has shown some success in reducing gang-related crime.

"These results are truly significant because, for the first time, we know how many gangs are in each area of our state," said McCollum.

Officials in Escambia County have been fighting gang activity for more than a year.

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