State awards $1.2 million for anti-gang center in North Richland Hills.

North Richland Hills will be at the forefront of a renewed effort to combat a resurgent gang problem in Texas.

The city picked up a $1.2 million grant from the state Criminal Justice Division to fund the North Texas Anti-Gang Center, which will focus on gang activity in an 11-county region.

“We must do more to crack down on gang activity and prevent organized crime from taking root across Texas,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement. “This grant is a crucial step toward that goal.

“I am grateful to the city of North Richland Hills for taking the lead on this center.”

The North Texas Anti-Gang Center will focus on gang problems in 11 area counties: Tarrant, Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hood, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro, Parker and Smith.

The Texas Anti-Gang Center is planned to be a state-of-the-art facility where law enforcement agencies will work together to investigate gang activity in this region of Texas.

“In an effort to stay ahead of emerging trends and guard against future threats, the City of North Richland Hills has agreed to serve as steward of the funding for the TAG center,” the Police Department said Wednesday in a statement. “Given the City’s excellent history of fiscal responsibility, this grant will allow us to contribute to this regional initiative.”

A similar facility was set up three years ago in Houston.

“This new facility will replicate the successful anti-gang center in Houston and will directly challenge the gangs that threaten the safety of our communities,” Abbott said.

The state Department of Public Safety is also working to set up a South Texas Anti-Gang Center in Weslaco.

A ‘public safety threat’

A state assessment from 2014 indicated that gangs “continue to represent a significant public safety threat to the state of Texas and are responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime in our communities.”

“Texas-based gangs, gang members, and their associates are active in both human smuggling and human trafficking, which often includes sex trafficking and compelling prostitution of adult and minor victims,” the Texas Gang Threat Assessment said April 2014. “Gangs and gang members are attracted to the lucrative nature of this activity due to the potential for large and renewable profits and the perceived lower risk of detection.

“Gangs with access to alien smuggling organizations are often sought out to assist in the smuggling of illegal aliens into the United States,” the statement continues. “Gang members are involved in the human trafficking of both international and domestic victims.”

A 2012 gang report said that more than 2,500 gangs and more than 100,000 gang members had been identified in Texas.

The North Richland Hills Police Department said in its statement, “To effectively investigate violent and organized criminal offenders, law enforcement agencies must act in partnership with one another to ensure a safe community environment for all.”

This story was originally published February 25, 2015 at 6:48 PM with the headline "State awards $1.2 million for anti-gang center in North Richland Hills.."