State's Attorney's Office - Montgomery County, MD

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Gang Prosecution Unit:

Team Leader: John Maloney 240-777-7392

Assistant Team Leader: Jeffrey Wennar 240-777-7321

Team Manager: Edward Day 240-777-7481

Assistant State's Attorney Victor Delpino 240-777-7340

Assistant State's Attorney

Assistant State's Attorney Jessica Zarrella 240-777-7469

POLICE OFFICERS ASSIGNED TO GANG INVESTIGATIONS

The Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office, in collaboration with GOCCP, has implemented a Gang Prosecution Unit. Gang prosecutors in the Office handles all gang related cases (both adult and juvenile) from start to finish. Working closely with the other agencies, these cases are identified and handled from their initial charging through trial and sentencing.

The Gang Prosecution Unit, made possible through state and local funding, handles not just gang violence but all cases where a known gang member has been charged with a crime. The unit handled nearly 400 cases in 2007, ranging from disorderly conduct to homicide.

There are about 40 active gangs in Montgomery County and 1,150 members. Approximately 3,600 gang members have been identified in the D.C. metropolitan area.

The Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office goal is to minimize gang activity by firmly and fairly prosecuting identified gang members and gang related cases.

What is a Gang?

A group or any association of three or more persons that forms to engage in criminal activity, including acts by juveniles that would be crimes if committed by adults, for the purposes of pecuniary gain or to create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation either collectively or knowledge of the acts of the members of the group; and whose members have a common identifying sign, symbol, or name. l

What is gang prosecution?

In the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office, gang prosecutors handle all gang cases from start to finish and work with prosecutors assigned to juvenile and adult cases, as well as other law enforcement agencies on the federal, state and local levels, to insure that gang related cases are being effectively prosecuted. Members from the mental health association, Montgomery County Police Department, Department of Juvenile Services, Montgomery County Public Schools, Gaithersburg City Police, Rockville City Police, Bethesda Gang Unit, Takoma Park Gang Unit, Silver Spring Gang Unit, Wheaton Gang Unit, Germantown Gang Unit, Montgomery Village Gang Unit, and the Gang prosecutor in the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office have formed a Gang Awareness partnership. The purpose of the partnership is to provide resource coordination, training and education on gang related issues.

"The Impact of Small Gangs in Montgomery County Maryland" --Assistant State's Attorney Jeffrey Wennar

"A Community Approach For Addressing Gangs" --Assistant State's Attorney Jeffrey Wennar

You should be concerned if your child..

Habitually Truancy
Admits to gang involvement
Obsessed with one particular color of clothing or shows a desire for a particular logo over and over;
Wears saggy pants (this in and of itself is not indicative of gang activity);
Wears excessive jewelry with distinctive designs and may wear it only on either the left or right side of the body;
Is obsessed by gangter-influenced music, videos and movies to the point of imitation;
Withdraws from families with an accompanying change in demeanor;
Associates with undesirable persons and breaks parental rules consistently;
Develops an unusual desire for privacy and secrecy and may completely rearrange living quarters to create privacy;
Uses hand signs when with friends and practices them at home;

Or, there is evidence of the appearance of...

Physical injury (such as being beaten) and then child lies about the events surrounding the injury;
Peculiar drawings or language on school books (may appear later as tattoos or brands);
Unexplained cash or goods, i.e., clothing or jewelry;
Possible use of alcohol and drugs with attitude change.

Advise your children that they should not....

Associate with any gange members of "wannabe/gonnabe" gang members;
Identify or communicate with gangs;
Hang out near or where gangs congregate;
Approach strangers in cars who appear to want information or directions;
Wear gang related clothing where gangs are known to gather or transverse;
Wear initialed cltohign such as BK-British Knights a/k/a Blood killer in high crime ares;
Use words like "crab" or "slob" (localized lingo might develop) anywhere gangs may be: e.g. malls, sproting events etc;
Attend any party or social event sponsored by gangs or their associates;
·ake part in any graffiti activity or hang around where graffiti is present; or use any kind of finger or sign language in a public place.

Tips for Parents.

Impress upon your child the importance of school and good grades;
Spend quality time with your children;
Get involved in your child school activites
Establish rules, set limits and be consistent, firm and fair in punsihement
Encourage good study habits
Respect your child feelings and attitudes and help him/her develop self esteem
Watch closely for negative influences
Improve your own self-esteem so your children can model themselves after the most important role model-YOU.

Tips for parents and educators:

Help children develop self control
Help children deal appropriately with problems
Get involved in community oriented prevention and intervention programs. Urge others to become involved. Volunteer at your child's school. Gangs are a community problem and their influence does not stop at any particular boundary.
Listen to your children, communicate with them about their concerns and fears.

POLICE OFFICERS ASSIGNED TO GANG INVESTIGATIONS

ROCKVILLE 301-279-1591

BETHESDA 301-652-9200

SILVER SPRING 301-565-7744

WHEATON 240-773-5500

GERMANTOWN 301-840-2650

GAITHERSBURG 301-256-6400

GAITHERSBURG CITY 301-256-6400

ROCKVILLE CITY 240-314-8900

TAKOMA PARK CITY 301-891-7141

STATE'S ATTORNEY OFFICE 240-777-7321

Last edited: 5/1/2009 9