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Home • About Us • Ten Years After: The FBI Since 9/11 • Just the Facts • Violent Gang Initiatives

Violent Gang Initiatives

Violent Gang Initiatives

While preventing terrorist attacks remains the FBI’s top priority, our resources dedicated to combating violent crime are focused on the most acute problems threatening our society and on complex, multi-jurisdictional investigations where we can offer special capabilities. Since 2001, the FBI has increased its focus on violent gangs.

Safe Streets Violent Crime Initiative

  • As of May 2011, there are 168 Safe Streets Task Forces (SSTFs) focused on violent gangs in 55 of our field offices.
  • These task forces are comprised of more than 2,000 local, state, and federal investigators representing over 700 law enforcement agencies throughout the United States. 

Violent Gang Safe Street Task Force Accomplishments

Year Complaints Indictments/
Informations		 Arrests Convictions
2001 1,143 2,181 3,999 2,168
2002 1,024 1,951 3,512 1,964
2003 826 1,971 3,837 1,698
2004 980 2,183 4,162 1,773
2005 1,191 2,540 4,745 1,700
2006 1,421 2,695 5,537 2,199
2007 1,295 3,256 7,256 2,325
2008 633 4,017 7,792 2,839
2009 1,975 4,634 9,082 3,252
2010 1,681 3,845 7,184 3,176
Totals 12,169 29,273 57,106 23,094
 
Year Disruptions Dismantlements RICO* Indictments Other Racketeering Statute Indictments
2001 108 42 37 63
2002 149 41 24 167
2003 166 46 151 99
2004 299 40 35 36
2005 483 65 33 51
2006 509 67 64 94
2007 685 106 12 126
2008 716 59 37 162
2009 1,243 95 117 199
2010 1,038 90 85 153
Totals 5,396 651 595 1,150

 

* Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act

National Gang Intelligence Center (NGIC)

  • The FBI developed the NGIC in 2005 to provide a mechanism for local, state, and federal law enforcement to share gang data across jurisdictions and to identify trends related to violent gang activity and migration.
  • The NGIC is a multi-agency center that integrates the gang intelligence assets of federal, state, and local law enforcement entities to serve as a central intelligence repository for gang information and analytical support. It consists of representatives from the FBI; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; United States Marshals Service; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; National Drug Intelligence Center; Bureau of Prisons; Customs and Border Protection; and Department of Defense.
  • To aid the sharing of gang intelligence, NGIC has developed NGIC Online, which consists of web-based tools designed for researching gang-related intelligence and sharing information with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners.

National Gang Task Force

  • The FBI established the MS-13 National Gang Task Force (NGTF) in 2004 to coordinate the investigative efforts of federal, state, and local agencies against MS-13 gang targets. MS-13 members and associates have been identified in 42 states and have a significant presence in Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington, D.C.
  • The NGTF has instituted the Central American Fingerprint Exploitation initiative to acquire criminal fingerprints from the Central American region and to merge those fingerprints and associated criminal records into our Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System database.
    • Total fingerprints received (Central America and Chiapas, Mexico): 96,707
    • Total hits to U.S. records: 15,574
    • Total hits on subjects with U.S. warrants (included in above total): 326
    • The NGTF is committed to enhancing the investigative effectiveness of U.S. and Central American agencies tasked with combating transnational criminal organizations through the Central American Law Enforcement Exchange (CALEE) program by providing real-world learning experiences and creating opportunities to network within the national and international law enforcement communities. CALEE is a joint FBI and Department of State (DOS) initiative that enables representatives from U.S. and Central American law enforcement agencies to take part in interactive, hands-on, custom-designed exchange programs. These programs increase intelligence sharing, identify best practices, and minimize the gaps in communication between governments that often allow transnational criminals to move across borders and commit crimes and acts of violence with virtual anonymity.
    • The Transnational Anti-Gang Program is a joint FBI and DOS initiative developed to combine the expertise and resources of the jurisdictions and agencies involved in countering transnational criminal gang activity in the U.S., Central America, and Mexico. In a task force environment, FBI agents work side by side with vetted officers from participating countries for the mutual betterment of each country’s investigative and intelligence efforts as they relate to transnational criminal organizations such as MS-13 and the 18th Street gangs.

August 2011