A proposed task force to stem gang activity in Prince George’s County is raising questions about the county’s spending habits as it falls behind neighboring Montgomery County in combating a rising tide of gang violence.
County Council members who proposed the task force said it was inspired by the recent spate of gang violence, including a stabbing outside Parkdale High School earlier this month.
This spike led Councilman William Campos to conclude that the county’s gang problem has “either increased or stayed the same” since a 2004 joint effort between Prince George’s and Montgomery to combat gangs.
Since that time, Montgomery has taken much bigger steps forward, obtaining at least six federal and state grants to run gang-prevention programs compared to the two Prince George’s acquired, according to state records.
Campos said he’s concerned that Prince George’s falling behind its neighbor could mean an increase in gang activity as members are driven from Montgomery.
Councilman Eric Olson, who co-sponsored the resolution for the latest task force with Campos, said it’s unclear how well the county has spent the cash it has received.
“We need to examine how well things are working and that money is spent appropriately,” Olson said.
Both counties have worked together to open Crossroads Youth Opportunity Center on the Takoma Park-Langley Park border, but the 2004 task force recommendations called for each county also to create programs catered to their communities, which is where Prince George’s has fallen behind according to council members and other county officials.
Del. Victor Ramirez, D-Prince George’s, attempted to secure $2 million in state funding to open an Archdiocese of Washington-run youth center in Langley Park in 2004 that would have catered to the community’s large Latino population.
He said the biggest shortfall in Prince George’s has been in programs designed to pull gang members out of their violent world. The youth center eventually fell through due to political bickering, he said.
Dr. Donald Shell, who heads the county’s health department and is charged with running outreach programs, said efforts to coordinate gang prevention programs have resulted in the creation of a list of county and non-government-run programs that’s available on the county’s Web site.
He also said that, in recent months, he and county gang coordinator Michael Butler have been studying programs in Baltimore to see how they might be applied in Prince George’s.
“Gang problems are plaguing the region,” Olson said. “It takes a lot of effort to prevent violence.”
