Gang membership in the Peach State has increased 80% since 2018, according to data from the Georgia Gang Investigators Association (GGIA).
Georgia is home to more than 127,732 known gang members and active associates representing approximately 1,974 gangs, according to the nonprofit's 2024 findings. The group's 2018 study identified more than 71,000 gang members from 1,600 gang organizations.
Only 86 of the state's 159 counties participated in the study, which found that about 65 percent of crimes in those counties were committed by gang members. Either way, the numbers show a sharp increase in gang activity over the past six years, the nonprofit said.
But officials noted that the increase coincides with increased law enforcement training in the state focused on identifying, investigating and prosecuting street gang activity.
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Police respond to a shooting at Olmsted Homes in Augusta, Georgia on February 23, 2024. (Katie Goodale/USA TODAY NETWORK)
GGIA Metro Atlanta Regional Director Michael Ricks, who is also a Georgia law enforcement officer, told Fox News Digital that approximately 157 of Georgia's 159 counties participated in the 2018 count. In fact, this year's numbers are significantly higher, reaching nearly half of the level. The increase in participants “makes the growth even more alarming.”
He said the six-year period between the two investigations was a factor, as gangs are constantly on the rise. He also said social media has made it easier for organized criminals to recruit, noting that the state's law enforcement departments have seen at least a 20% reduction in assigned personnel since 2020.
Although Latino gangs like MS-13 and Torren de Aragua have become a problem, the Bloods remain the group with the largest membership in the nation, he said. The high number of gangs recorded in this study may also be due to the fact that Georgia law defines a gang as a group of three or more people involved in organized crime.
He said the decline in the domestic economy since the previous survey may also be a factor.
“The fact that the economy is depressed in many areas…the fact that many gangs are willing to give you money quickly, the perception of additional resources, etc., looks more attractive in times of hardship,” Ricks said on FOX. He told News Digital.
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A large police presence is seen at the Cielo at Azriq apartment complex in Athens, Georgia, on February 23, 2024.
Prosecutor, Fulton County District Attorney's Office Gang Division told WSB TV General crime statistics show that violent crime in Atlanta has decreased dramatically while gang prosecutions have increased.
The Atlanta Police Department saw a 26.7% decrease in homicides and a 27.8% decrease in aggravated assaults with a firearm, the head of the Fulton County District Attorney's Office Gang Unit told the outlet.
“This case is credible,” Phil Holloway, a former assistant district attorney in the state and now a criminal defense attorney, told Fox News Digital. [GGIA] If they say gang membership is on the rise, it's because that's consistent with what we're seeing on the ground. ”
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Holloway questioned whether violent crime is actually decreasing despite the increase in gang membership.
“I think the number of arrests is going down in general, but that doesn't mean crime is going down. So prosecutors sometimes confuse these issues and it's actually possible that crime is rampant.” “Sometimes people try to push the debate by making political points,'' Holloway said. “But as enforcement declines, they use those statistics to say, “Hey, look, we're doing such a great job through this aggressive gang prosecution that we're solving the problem of violent crime.'' 'And the truth of the matter is that it's just hidden, and it's probably more in line with what we're seeing and tracking on the ground.' I think it is. ”
On Thursday afternoon, August 10, 2023, Savannah Police Officers were on scene at the KFC on West Gwinnett Street after a shooting occurred. (Richard Burkhardt/Savannah Morning News/USA TODAY NETWORK)
Holloway has practiced law in Georgia for 25 years and said he can “feel” that gang activity is increasing.
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“You know, right now in juvenile court, young kids as young as 9, 10, 11, 12 years old are gang members and have gang affiliations, which means membership issues and the proliferation of gangs. , it's actually getting worse and it's not getting better,” Holloway said.
“I think what we're seeing on the ground, so to speak, is a combination of having gangs that are involved in more complex criminal activity, drug trafficking, human trafficking. Violent crimes, 10 to 12 years ago Gangs are becoming more sophisticated, not just the kind of gangs you remember from .
