Project Safe Neighborhoods

>> Gang Task Force Consisting of Officers from Six Local Police Agencies and Two Federal
Agencies to Combat Gang Crime in Multnomah County, Clackamas County, Washington County, and Clark County

PORTLAND, OREGON - On July 10, 2006, the Metropolitan Gang Task Force will begin operations. The Task Force will consist of officers from the Beaverton Police Department, Gresham Police Department, Hillsboro Police Department, Milwaukie Police Department, Portland Police Bureau, Vancouver Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Metropolitan Gang Task Force will be supervised by a board of directors consisting of a representative from each law enforcement agency, the four elected district attorneys, and the United States Attorney for the District of Oregon. The chairperson, selected by the board, is Beaverton Police Department Chief David G. Bishop.

Formation of the Metropolitan Gang Task Force grew out of a series of meetings between local and federal law enforcement agency leaders facilitated at the United States Attorney’s Office to discuss gang-related issues. Combating gang-related violence is a priority of the United States Department of Justice under the Project Safe Neighborhoods gun violence reduction initiative.

The overall goals of the Metropolitan Gang Task Force are to detect and apprehend members of gang-related organized criminal enterprises and their leadership by gathering and sharing information and expertise among local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

Portland FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Jordan anticipates that the Metropolitan Gang Task Force will endeavor to establish links to cases of national interest, will provide a conduit to coordinate gang-related intelligence nationwide through the National Gang Intelligence Center and provide a vehicle to identify and address violent street gangs attempting to establish themselves within the metropolitan area.

Gang officers in the Portland metropolitan area believe that in order to combat the gang problem effectively, officers must be able to track and investigate gangs in the four-county area. “Gangs don’t care about state lines or city limits; this Task Force erases the boundaries, so law enforcement can work together to reduce gang-related crime,” says Special Agent in Charge Kelvin N. Crenshaw, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Chief Bishop believes “the Metropolitan Gang Task Force will improve coordination between local, state and federal agencies and allow the agencies to take the gangsters off the street.”

The Task Force will be housed at Portland Police Bureau’s Northeast Precinct. The contributing agencies will pay for the salaries of their officers. Other expenses for the Task Force, such as vehicles, overtime and equipment, will be paid for by the FBI. Further information can be obtained from Diane Peterson, Public Information Officer, at 503-727-l066.

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All media inquiries about Project Safe Neighborhoods in Oregon should be directed to:

Fred Weinhouse
Assistant U.S. Attorney
U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Oregon
503-727-1000
E-mail: Fred Weinhouse