Given the increase in crime at the DMV, organizations came together to offer educational resources to the community about gangs and prevent them from continuing to recruit young people.
The coordinators of the Gang Response Intervention Team in Arlington County reported that close to 90% of these types of groups in the area are led and made up of Hispanics.
That is why for two decades the anti-gang brigades in northern Virginia have been making an effort to attack the problem from prevention, assuring that gang activity has decreased, but it continues to be a threat.
The entity added that the greatest risk for a young person to fall into this type of grouping is not having extracurricular activities.
“Pay attention to who your children’s friends are, also if they are not involved in something positive after school, the risk is high (as well as) if they are not going to school. Enter the bedrooms where they sleep, check under the bed, in the drawers, to see what kind of clothes they are wearing,” said Robert Vilchez, coordinator of the Arlington Gang Squad.
All regions of Northern Virginia have a coordinator of a work group with preventive and educational services, especially for parents, to identify those signs and guidance for those who fell into the hands of gangs that even include tattoo removal services.
Below is the list of counties where you can find these centers:
