McNerney Reintroduces Initiative to Combat Gang Violence

Press Release

Congressman Jerry McNerney reintroduced legislation yesterday to create a National Gang Activity Database that will allow law enforcement officials nationwide to track and share information about gang members and their activities.

"Last week, I sat down with members of the Tracy Police Department and local elected officials to discuss how I can be of assistance as they work to combat gang violence," said Rep. McNerney. "The bill I wrote will help local law enforcement agencies address gang violence by creating a mechanism to share information nationally."

The National Safe Streets Gang Crime Prevention Act of 2011, H.R. 928, will create a National Gang Activity Database to disseminate information on gangs, gang members, firearms, criminal activities, vehicles, and other useful information. The database, administered by the Department of Justice, would be available for use by investigators to solve and reduce gang-related crimes, allowing law enforcement officials to track the movement of gangs and members throughout a region and coordinate law enforcement response.

"Fighting gang violence requires a multi-pronged approach with cooperation between different law enforcement agencies and access to current and pertinent information," said Rep. McNerney. "While meeting with the Police Department in Tracy, I learned how they are using analysis of crime patterns and gang activity to allocate resources. The database my legislation creates will aid them in this process by providing access to pertinent and current information from across the country."

Congressman McNerney first introduced a version of the legislation in 2007. The National Safe Streets Gang Crime Prevention Act of 2011 will now be referred to the House Judiciary Committee for consideration.

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