Trends in Gang Activity

Gangs are a problem for all types of communities, from rural to suburban to the most congested cities. It is estimated that approximately 785,000 gang members and 26,500 gangs were active in the United States in 2006, the last year for which figures were available. About 33 percent of all law enforcement agencies experience gang problems, according to a survey by the National Youth Gang Center.

According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, there was about a 19 percent increase in gang-related murders from the period 1996–2000 to the period 2002–2006. Among law enforcement agencies that deal with gangs, more than 50 percent experienced an increase in 2006 over 2004 and 2005 levels in the areas of drug sales and aggravated assault. 

The 2005 National Gang Threat Assessment from the Bureau of Justice Assistance found that gangs are becoming more sophisticated in their use of technology and often align themselves with organized crime. They leave behind less evidence than in the past, and often, the only way to convict gang members is through eyewitness testimony.