Topic category: Other/General
Law Enforcement Intelligence: US Gang Task Force
by Jim Kouri, CPP
The National Gang Targeting, Enforcement & Coordination Center, or GangTECC, began operations in the summer of 2006 as the national anti-gang task force created by the former Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales.
Under the direction of the former Attorney General, GangTECC became a multi-agency center designed to serve as a critical catalyst in a unified federal effort to help disrupt and dismantle the most significant and violent gangs in the United States.
The senior investigators at GangTECC come from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Marshals Service and the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Department of Homeland Security.
These federal agents work in close collaboration with the Gang Squad prosecutors in the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice, and with the analysts and others at the National Gang Intelligence Center (NGIC). They are among the primary consumers of NGIC intelligence.
Specifically, GangTECC assists the initiation of gang-related investigations and enhances existing investigations and prosecutions amd aids in the coordination, deconfliction, and effectiveness of gang-related initiatives, investigations and prosecutions.
It also develops an enhanced understanding of the national gang problem and proposes strategies to neutralize the most violent and significant threats, while it coordinates with and supports the National Gang Intelligence Center.
The goal is to achieve maximum impact at the national level against the most violent gangs in this country including MS-13.
GangTECC is intended to provide "one stop shopping" via phone and e-mail for local, state and federal investigators and prosecutors engaged in significant anti-gang efforts.
GangTECC, through the participation of its member agencies, can offer either direct support for those engaged in anti-gang initiatives or can connect interested parties to appropriate officials to provide guidance or assistance. In many instances, specific assistance, coordination or access to information developed in related cases would be invaluable to an ongoing gang investigation or prosecution.
Jim Kouri
Chief of Police Magazine (Contributing Editor)
Biography - Jim Kouri
Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police. He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for a number of organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. He writes for many police and crime magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer, Campus Law Enforcement Journal, and others. He's appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com, Booksamillion.com, and can be ordered at local bookstores. Kouri holds a bachelor of science in criminal justice and master of arts in public administration and he's a board certified protection professional.