Gang crimes in Northern Virginia are down in recent years, according to Fairfax County police Lt. Ron Haugsdahl, head of the Northern Virginia Gang Task Force.
“We’re starting to see a plateau, even a drop in gang-related crimes” in Northern Virginia, he told The Examiner.
The task force was formed in 2003 to combat growing gang violence in the region, especially from Hispanic gangs. It was created using funds appropriated by Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., and comprises law enforcement from across Northern Virginia and federal authorities.
Officials from Alexandria, Manassas, Dumfries, Leesburg, and Arlington, Prince William, Fairfax, Loudoun counties sit on the task force, Haugsdahl said.
The task force was formed in 2003. That year, 1,557 gang-related crimes were committed in the area, up from 950 in 2002, according to task force crime statistics. That number spiked to 1,710 in 2004 before dropping to 1,425 in 2005.
Of these crimes, violent offenses such as assault and murder have remained relatively flat. But crimes like painting of graffiti gang signs and auto theft have gone down, according to the statistics.
Haugsdahl said the jump in reported crimes in 2004, the year after the task force was created, was due to police training. He said the task force was learning how to combat gang crimes.
He said if the task force had not been formed, gang crime in Northern Virginia would be rampant.
“Since we’ve started, if gang violence had not gotten the attention it’s been given, it would be epidemic by now,” Haugsdahl said. “We’re working a heck of a lot harder to get these groups.”
Community help
» Fairfax County police Lt. Ron Haugsdahl, head of the Northern Virginia Gang Task Force, said an increase in community reporting in the past few years has helped police identify when and where crimes are occurring.
