National Gang Threat Assessment

Gang members are increasingly migrating from urban to suburban areas and are responsible for a growing percentage of crime and violence in many communities. Much gang-related criminal activity involves drug trafficking; however, gang members are increasingly engaging in alien and weapons trafficking. Additionally, a rising number of U.S. based gangs are seemingly intent on developing working relationships with U.S. and foreign-based drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) and other criminal organizations to gain direct access to foreign sources of illicit drugs. 2009 report includes seven regional summaries, providing overviews of the current gang situation in each region, highlighting major issues of concern to law enforcement. Also includes the names and descriptions of the various known gangs, broken down by category.