Northern Virginia holding its own in fight vs. gangs
By Jana Wagoner
Shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-10th) was having dinner with his wife near Sterling when he saw someone in a parking lot flash what appeared to be a gang signal.
When Wolf contacted the FBI to see if gang activity was a problem in Northern Virginia, he was told it was a serious problem.
Since then, Wolf has secured many millions of federal dollars and set up task forces to fight gang activity in the area, and he reported to a group of about 150 Loudoun and Fairfax residents July 2 that the efforts are working.
“This area is doing better than any other area in the country,” Wolf said, mentioning a recent FBI gang report that called Northern Virginia a bright spot.
Wolf joined Del. Tom Rust (R-Sterling), Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chairman Scott York (I-at large), Loudoun Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling) and Loudoun County Gang Response Intervention Team coordinator Edward Ryan at Park View High School to brief residents on the actions being taken to keep gang violence out of area neighborhoods.
Wolf said that even though things seem to be working in Northern Virginia, law enforcement and governing officials need to keep making it difficult for gang activity to take place.
“This is not the time to let up off the gas,” Wolf said.
“No one in this area should live in any fear of gang violence.”
Rust, York and Delgaudio told residents about legislation that has been enacted to drive out gangs, while Ryan told the crowd about measures the Gang Response Intervention Team, known as GRIT, is taking in prevention and intervention.
GRIT works mainly with elementary and middle school children to keep them from joining gangs.
“This is not an issue we can arrest our way out of,” Ryan said, adding that 80 percent of gang members would leave their gangs if they knew of other opportunities available to them.
When asked what signs and colors gang members display, Ryan said those often change. It's better to look for changes in the behaviors and attitudes in youth to identify whether or not they may be thinking about joining a gang.
GRIT not only works with individuals who may be targeted to join gangs but also their families, Ryan said.
It's important to keep an eye on these youth that are susceptible and keep them away from gangs because gang members will often get them to do their dirty work, Ryan said.
One of the biggest resources for residents at the meeting was Capt. Ricky Frye of the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, who is set to become the commander of the Sterling Park Sheriff's station when it opens in early 2010.
When asked for statistics, Frye told the crowd that there are 50 to 100 known gang members in Loudoun, but they travel from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
Frye said the Sheriff's Office gang unit is on the streets nearly every night, making sure gang members know they are not welcome here. He added that a series of driver's license checkpoints conducted in Sterling last fall really seemed to drive out a lot of gang activity.
“From what I can read, we are holding our own or making progress,” Frye said.
Sterling resident Paul Tabler, the last person to speak at the meeting, urged all attendees to tell their neighbors what was said at the meeting and to tell everyone to call the police if they suspect gang activity is going on around them.
“Look out for each other,” Tabler said.