Programs that have helped reduce gang-related crimes in Montgomery County are being threatened as funding dries up. Many of the programs, which focus on youth and gang violence, have been funded through federal and state grants, which expire next year. The county will need to find new funding — maybe from Montgomery taxpayers — if the programs are to stay.

Officials credit the programs with reducing crime in the county. Youth crimes — those committed by anyone under age 22 — have been declining from 3,844 in 2007 to 3,104 in 2010, and gang-related crimes are down from 285 in 2009 to 232 in 2010.