Montgomery County’s police district centered in Germantown has the highest number of active gang groups countywide, while the Gaithersburg and Silver Spring districts have nearly 300 active gang members apiece, according to new information from authorities.
The breakdown comes from the county police department’s just-released annual report for 2006.
Within the report, members of the gang task force included a matrix of known trends on active gang membership in the affluent Maryland county, separating information by the six districts and including estimates of active members in each group.
Overall, the report puts the number of active members at more than 1,000, which seems to be the highest official figure from the police department in recent memory.
The data list very specific subsets of national organizations such as the Bloods, Crips and MS-13, along with more localized neighborhood gangs.
The Hispanic gang MS-13, considered by many as the most problematic regionally, is mentioned most frequently, with reported presence in the Silver Spring, Bethesda, Wheaton, Germantown and Gaithersburg districts.
With 15 different gangs, burgeoning Germantown is said to have the most.
But, in terms of sheer member numbers, the 3rd District, encompassing Silver Spring, is at the top with nearly 300 active gang participants.
There, gang activity is most prominent near the intersections of North Hampton Drive and Flower Avenue, Dallas Avenue and Forest Glen Road, and University Boulevard and Piney Branch Road.
Comparatively, Rockville’s District 1 has the lowest number of gang groups and affiliated members with only 34 members and four groups, the report said.
The Examiner could not reach gang investigators in Montgomery County for comment and analysis on the gang standings Thursday.
But Assistant Police Chief John King said late last year that Montgomery County saw an alarming 30 percent spike in crime between November 2005 and May 2006 that could be traced back to gang members, which puts a very immediate need on curbing the gang problem.
Gang breakdown
Number of members in each Montgomery County by district:
» District 1 (Rockville): 34
» District 2 (Bethesda): 59
» District 3 (Silver Spring): 296
» District 4 (Wheaton): 167
» District 5 (Germantown): 196
» District 6 (Montgomery Village/Gaithersburg): 263
Source: Montgomery County Police
