Atlanta, GA — The Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC), in partnership with the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia (PAC) and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), announced today that there are now over 33,000 gang member profiles in the Georgia Gang Intelligence Platform and more than 25,000 connections have been made across investigative case files.

“This is a big accomplishment and important step in addressing criminal gang activity in Georgia,” said CJCC Executive Director, Jay Neal. “This is one part of the multifaceted approach the state is taking to increase public safety as it relates to gang-related crime.”

GBI Director Vernon Keenan added, “The GBI values our partnerships with the CJCC and PAC. We are looking forward to improving our capabilities statewide in the fight against gang violence.”

Through a statewide platform, Georgia ensures local law enforcement professionals have access to information about gang members in their jurisdictions who are also active in other areas of the state. The networked data in the Georgia Gang Intelligence Platform allows law enforcement and prosecutors to gather and present evidence in accordance with the requirements for proving gang-related activities under Georgia’s gang statute. The platform offers a consistent methodology that brings rigor to gang investigations.

In late 2016, CJCC, PAC, and GBI began targeting local communities that would benefit from a statewide platform for gang-related data. CJCC awarded a $300K grant to PAC – funded from the Federal Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) – to introduce 20 local agencies (selected due to high rates of gang-related crime), as well as the Department of Juvenile Justice and Department of Corrections to the platform. Since then, over 33,000 gang member profiles have been added to the network and more than 25,000 connections have been made between case files. From SFY 2017 to 2018, contributions from additional agencies resulted in a 103% increase in profile or event matches in the platform.

Today, the platform is continuing its march to full implementation in order to bring on a greater number of Georgia law enforcement agencies. To accomplish this, CJCC awarded $2.6M in Federal JAG funds to the GBI for platform growth. This award allows PAC and GBI to resume the expansion of the platform while supporting existing partners. PAC will work with GBI to identify and enlist the participation of committed local partners in both law enforcement and prosecution disciplines. Additionally, the PAC Training Division continues its aggressive delivery of training to Georgia gang investigators and prosecutors. The goal of the Georgia Gang Intelligence Platform continues to be the successful investigation and prosecution of gang-related cases in order to hold gang offenders accountable.

“The importance of this project cannot be overstated,” said PAC Executive Director Pete Skandalakis. “The platform, coupled with the Georgia Gang statute, provides law enforcement and prosecutors valuable and needed tools to build strong cases against known gang members and identify connections, which ultimately makes our communities safer.”

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About the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC)
Created by the Georgia General Assembly in 1981 as an Executive Branch agency, the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) represents the culmination of many efforts to establish a statewide body that would build consensus and unity among the State's diverse and interdependent, criminal justice system components. For more information visit the CJCC website: https://cjcc.georgia.gov/.

About the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia (PAC)
Established in, the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia (PAC) is the overarching judicial branch government agency supporting Georgia prosecutors and their staff, which includes 49 District Attorney Offices (primarily Felony cases) and 61 Solicitor-General Offices (only Misdemeanor cases). For more information visit the PAC website: www.pacga.org.

About the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI)
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is comprised of three divisions: the Georgia Crime Information Center, the Crime Laboratory, and the Investigative Division. The agency has 850 employees and a budget of $101 million. For more information visit the GBI website: https://gbi.georgia.gov/.

Samantha Wolf – Communications and External Affairs Director | Atlanta | 404/657-1958