Lake County sheriff forms gang task force
The Lake County Sheriff's Office has created a new task force to combat the rise in gang members moving to the northern suburbs, officials said.
The Lake County Gang Task Force is a collaborating group comprised of federal and local law enforcement agencies that will pool resources to combat-gang related crimes more efficiently, Lake County Undersheriff Ray Rose said.
More than 30 local agencies have joined federal agencies, including the FBI, DEA and IRS, to be a part of the task force, Rose said.
Monthly meetings will focus on training to create consistent anti-gang law enforcement standards across the county, he added.
"Gangs are evolving and utilizing technology to expand their networks and illicit activities across state and county lines," Rose said. "We see it every day and we know when we share intelligence and resources with other agencies, we are more effective."
There are more than 1,100 documented gang members in Lake County, and 86 percent of them come from Chicago-based gangs, he said.
The task force will train participating members from local agencies on recognition of gang members and how to share resources on a records management system. It will also collaborate with educational, faith-based, civic and parent organizations to provide gang-awareness presentations, and develop stronger community relations to prevent gangs from recruiting youth.
"That is why we formed this collaborative and are arresting, prosecuting and incarcerating anyone caught providing, selling or transporting illegal drugs or weapons," Rose said. "It's important to develop a countywide constant mentality approach to deal with the gang issue and the crime it produces."
The task force has met more than once this summer, Rose said. At the last meeting, representatives from 38 municipalities and the federal agencies focused on creating a countywide computer database on gangs.
"There is a lot of benefit to what we are doing and the direction we are going," Rose said. "And we are not just focusing on street-level gang members. We are focusing on high level members in these gangs."