Warren
aims to nip gangs in the bud
Officials say location puts
county at risk
Sunday, February 26, 2006 • BY MIKE FRASSINELLI •
Star-Ledger Staff
The joke used to be that the biggest
crime to worry about in Warren County was stolen
cows.
"That's out the window," said Warren
County Prosecutor Thomas S. Ferguson, the top law
enforcement official in one of the state's fastest-growing
counties.
Warren is one of only two New Jersey
counties that includes both Routes 80 and 78 in its
boundaries (Essex is the other), making it vulnerable to gun
trafficking and gang relocation.
Although gangs are not believed to have
established much of a foothold in the rural northwestern New
Jersey county, Ferguson on Wednesday brought together law
enforcement officials and educators in a preventive seminar
designed to increase awareness of gang activity.
Planning for the seminar, sponsored by
the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Warren County
Prosecutor's Office, began in early December. But it
happened at a fortuitous time. A 14-year-old Phillipsburg
High student, possibly trying to seek initiation into a
gang, was charged in the Feb. 7 shooting death of a
16-year-old boy in neighboring Easton, Pa.
And on Tuesday, the Phillipsburg Town
Council called for state legislation that would prosecute
gang members under RICO-type statutes simply for being in a
gang. Penalties for a drug offense, for example, would be
much stiffer if it turned out that the defendant was a gang
member.
Councilman J.P. Stettner, a former police
chief who is director of security for the Phillipsburg
School District, said of the gangs: "They're not raising
money for muscular dystrophy. It's all illegal
money."
Stettner said he has noticed increased
gang-type activity in Phillipsburg, including more graffiti
and "taggings."
"In certain parts of the county, we
certainly have the underpinnings for gang activity,"
Ferguson said.
The seminar at the Warren County
Technical School in Franklin Township brought together
local, state and federal law enforcement officials,
including the FBI.
A highlight was a gang overview by Lt.
Edwin Torres, supervisor of the gang management unit of the
Juvenile Justice Commission. Torres brings his message to
counties throughout the state, telling law enforcement
officials to pay attention to gang members and "wannabes"
alike.
He describes the language, activities,
culture, the loyalty involved in becoming a gang member and
the prevalence of graffiti that gang members put on
sidewalks and houses.
Gang activity is not purely an urban
problem, Ferguson said.
"Whether or not there's organized gang
activity or gang culture, it's equally dangerous," the
prosecutor said. "The backdrop is here. They have a
recruiting base. The culture is out there, and people are
attracted to it -- and we have to deal with
this."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Futcher said
that while Warren County does not have a gang problem per
se, its location next to a bordering state makes it
vulnerable and that Phillipsburg is "a walking bridge,
basically, over to Easton."
"There's also been a lot of population
growth," said Futcher, who grew up in nearby Bethlehem,
Pa.
Mike Frassinelli covers Warren County. He may be reached
at mfras sinelli@starledger.com or (908) 475-1218.
© 2006 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
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