Gang Membership on the Rise

The gang problem in the United States is growing and there are an estimated 1.4 million members in some 33,000 gangs, according to the federal government, reported the Associated Press.

Gangs are collaborating with transnational drug trafficking organizations to make more money and are expanding the range of their illicit activities, engaging in mortgage fraud and counterfeiting as well as trafficking in guns and drugs, according to the national gang threat assessment for 2011.

The gang member estimate of 1.4 million was up from 1 million two years ago, a 40 percent increase, but the report attributed the rise in part to improved reporting by law enforcement agencies, reported the Associated Press.

White-collar crime is an increasing focus for gangs. The report cited the arrest of a member in a Los Angeles gang called Florencia 13 for operating a lab that manufactured pirated video games.

Gang membership is increasing most significantly in the Northeast and Southeast regions of the country and many communities are experiencing an increase in ethnic-based gangs such as African, Asian and Caribbean gangs, said the report, which is based on federal, state and local law enforcement data.

To read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal-govt-estimates-gang-membership-at-14m-in-33000-gangs-collaboration-by-gangs-rising/2011/10/21/gIQASKzu3L_story.html