Carroll County is seeking a state grant to determine the prevalence of gangs in the region.
“Unfortunately, there?s gang activity in every county in Maryland and in every community large and small, so it is very important to get a handle on it,” said Commissioner Perry Jones Jr.
The deadline for applying for the grant ? which will yield up to $15,000 ? is June 14, said Mary Sholz, administrator of the county?s local management board.
Agency representatives from law enforcement, schools, juvenile services, and drug and alcohol programs will meet for the first time today to begin the planning process, she said. Jones and Commissioner Dean Minnich learned Thursday at the first Maryland Gang Summit in Columbia that funding was available for research on gang activity in Carroll.
Larry Faries, a retired Maryland state trooper who is now in charge of security for Carroll County Public Schools, was among the experts invited to participate in the county?s interagency gang study.
“There are some semblances of gang activity [in Carroll schools],” Faries said Monday.
“Groups of students hang out together and give themselves names.”
Faries said such activity involves students of all ages and is sometimes linked to drugs.
The study will be completed by Nov. 15 and will create more opportunity for the county to request further funding for continued anti-gang initiatives, Sholz said.
