Washington, D.C. – Representative Dave Reichert (WA-08) testified today before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security on his legislation, H.R. 367, the Gang Elimination Act of 2007, as part of a hearing on “Gang Crime Prevention and the Need to Foster Innovative Solutions at the Federal Level.”

“Our local law enforcement officials on the front line of this battle cannot win the war if they don’t have a clear understanding of what they’re up against and the tools to win,” said Reichert. “As we debate legislation, we sometimes lose sight of the fact that we are talking about human lives. I’ve seen the death on the streets – not only young people lose their lives, but also our police officers. Congress needs to come together, forming legislation that will help our local communities stop this killing.

“These bills represent a national roadmap against gangs that continue to infiltrate across the country. This is not a new problem, nor is it limited to major urban areas. More and more small communities are suffering from gang violence, and innocent bystanders are getting caught in the crossfire. Unfortunately, this is an issue that I’m extremely familiar with, but also with that experience comes a full understanding of the importance of moving this legislation forward. Today is a good step in the right direction.”

Reichert’s legislation in essence creates a “Gang Most-Wanted List.” It would require the Attorney General to develop a National Strategy to tackle the gang epidemic, and would specifically identify and target the three international drug gangs that present the greatest threat to the United States, through measures of ties to terrorist organizations, the amount of drugs they import and distribute and the threat they pose to our children. With this list, law enforcement agencies will be able to identify and share information across the country about the most violent gang members and aggressively pursue them.

Last week, the Associated Press reported that the King County Sherriff’s office in Washington will have a gang unit once again, noting that gangs have become more sophisticated, using computers, money and violence to build criminal businesses.

Reichert’s Gang Elimination Act is part of the “Suburban Agenda” created by the House Suburban Caucus. Members of the House Suburban Caucus have been working intensively to refine a new agenda for Congress meeting key priorities in education, health care, economic growth and conservation.

The hearing included testimony on four additional pieces of anti-gang-related legislation, including:

• H.R. 3152, the Anti-Gang Task Force Act , which directs the U.S. Attorney General to establish, staff, and fund anti-gang task forces, consisting of federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities, to coordinate efforts to combat criminal gangs and offenders;
• H.R. 3474, the National Safe Streets Gang Crime Prevention Act of 2007 , which would create a National Gang Activity Database to allow law enforcement officials nationwide to track and share information about gang members and their activities.
• H.R. 1582, the Gang Abatement and Prevention Act of 2007 , which would provide new resources for community-based gang prevention and intervention activities. The bill would also revise criminal laws and penalties to give gang prosecutors new tools in the fight against gang violence; and,
• H.R. 880, the Gang Deterrence and Community Protection Act of 2007 , a comprehensive bill to increase gang prosecutions and prevent gang-related crimes.