FREDERICK POLICE DEPARTMENT
100 West Patrick Street
Frederick, MD 21701
301-600-2100
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 18, 200
With the end of 2007, the Frederick Police Department achieved a milestone in implementing its anti-gang strategy. By the end 2007, more than 1500 Frederick middle-school children have received instruction in key concepts regarding how to withstand the lure of gangs, build self-esteem, and create an understanding and respect for doing the right thing.
In 2003, the Frederick Police Department offered its expertise to teach the nationally endorsed Gang Resistance Education and Training Program (G.R.E.A.T.) in all area schools. In 2004, at the invitation of West Frederick Middle School leadership, the Department’s specially-trained officers taught this program to selected middle school classes. Since then, specially trained FPD officers have taught GREAT to more than 1500 Frederick City middle schoolers, receiving high recognition by educators, students, social services providers, and law enforcement officials.
GREAT’s message has residual value as kids positively influence their peers to withstand the lure of gangs, listen to their parents, and respect police.
According to Ms. Lisa Ward and Ms. Laurie Parker, 6th grade Life Skills teachers at West Frederick Middle School, “The G.R.E.A.T. Program is truly that, a great program. It provides students information that can be life changing, and not just about the dangers of joining gangs. Having a police officer teach this course is of tremendous value. Students see the officer as an authority figure, one who brings true, real-life experiences to the lessons. It allows the students to develop a positive relationship with the law enforcement community. Too often in our society, the media, news, music, etc. depict police officers as ‘the enemy’ or ‘out to get you.’”
All GREAT training costs, including books and classroom teaching aids, are fully funded or supplied by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Currently, twelve members of the Frederick Police Department are trained as GREAT instructors.
“We believe that combating gangs must be a team effort using our partnerships with citizens, schools, businesses, prosecutors, and other law enforcement agencies. Outreach and education efforts are critical,” said Kim C. Dine Chief of the Frederick Police Department. “We also believe that combating gangs is inextricably linked to combating an array of other, often related criminal activities, to include illegal drugs, certain violent crimes and property crimes, graffiti, prostitution and human trafficking, and terrorism. While we aggressively arrest law violators, we also know that combating gangs includes an array of approaches.”
GREAT represents only one aspect of Chief Dine’s anti-gang strategy, which consists of an integrated, multi-faceted response in which the entire agency is engaged.
The Department strategy consists of a four-pronged approach to combat gangs through enforcement/community policing, education, prevention, and investigation/intelligence sharing. While enforcement, investigation and other policing efforts are critical to this strategy, we know that prevention and education are also key aspects of our efforts. These efforts are progressive and less expensive than incarceration.
The Four-pronged, Department-wide anti-gang initiative consists of:
· Enforcement/community policing
· Education
· Prevention
· Investigation/intelligence sharing
Each Frederick Police Department Divison is involved in the initiative:
Patrol:
· City-wide patrol effort locating, reporting, photographing graffiti, hot spots, meeting places, and potential gang activity
· Meet with citizens/Neighborhood Advisory Councils to ascertain tips and allegations regarding gang activity as well as other criminal activity
· Identify potential gang members/associates
· Each patrol squad has an appointed gang information coordinator
· All information from patrol forwarded to FPD gang analyst
· Patrol liaisons with gang analyst, and Special Operations Division (SOD) as necessary, in addition to FPD intelligence officer
Criminal Investigations Division (CID):
· Gang analyst assigned to CID
· Member of MARGIN (Mid-Atlantic Regional Gang Investigator Network)
· Collects and tracks all gang-related information
· Shares gang information with all units of FPD as well as outside agencies such as Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Frederick County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO), Maryland State Police (MSP), and Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center (MCAC), etc.
· Provides gang seminars to citizen groups, Neighborhood Advisory Councils, businesses, and other government entities such as Department of Public Works, Fire and Rescue, Frederick County Public Schools, to educate about gangs
Special Operations Division (SOD):
· Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) and the Directed Patrol Unit (DPU) forward any gang-related information to gang analyst
· DPU is strategically deployed for enforcement operations regarding gang or potential gang activity resulting from intelligence received from gang analyst and other law enforcement sources and citizen information
· DPU is responsible for graffiti abatement, reporting and photographing graffiti and working with the City Department of Public Works for removal
· Special Operations Division shares and receives gang-related information with Patrol, Criminal Investigation, and Community Services Divisions
Planning Division:
· FPD “intelligence officer” receives and disseminates information from and to a variety of sources to include Federal Bureau of Investigation, Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, Maryland State Police, United States Secret Service, Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center (MCAC) and others
· Disseminates intelligence to agency and specific units to support operations
Community Services Division (CSD):
· Engages in programmatic prevention and outreach, acting as role models and mentors, to include:
o Police Activities League (PAL)o School Community Involvement Team (SCIT)
o Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.)
o FPD Law Enforcement Explorer Post # 714
Oversees all major City events/activities: assesses and reports gang activity
Through these efforts liaisons with youth from all over the City, gains intelligence possibly related to gangs and other criminal activity and provides information to FPD gang analyst
Acts as role models and mentors, assists in steering youth away from gang activity
Engages in youth intervention and prevention efforts
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