The GBI is expanding its gang task force in a partnership with authorities across Middle Georgia.
The task force was created after Gov. Brian Kemp took office, as combating gangs had been a focus of his campaign messaging. Since its creation, the task force has arrested alleged gang members across metro Atlanta, seizing drugs and guns.
The agency’s emphasis on gangs has drawn some criticism because violent crime is down 13 percent in the state since 2011, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. But the GBI cites an early 2019 survey of more than 500 police and sheriffs’ offices around the state, when most agencies said their biggest frustration was gangs. Topping the list were Ghostface Gangsters, Gangster Disciples, Bloods and Crips.
The expansion into Middle Georgia could’ve been predicted, considering longstanding complaints of gang issues from Macon to Milledgeville.
“The mission for the Gang Task Force is straightforward,” said GBI Director Vic Reynolds. “Our team is confident in the work that has already been achieved by the locals. We are hoping that they can open up doors for us to fully disable these criminal networks.”
Some of the agencies partnering with the GBI to expand the task force are: the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, Milledgeville Police Department, Eatonton Police Department, the Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office and others.
Baldwin County Sheriff Bill Massee has complained for years in his county, but said the nature of gangs is changing, with different groups often consolidating and becoming more powerful.
“They don’t allow competition,” Massee said. “You need to get in or get out.”
