Georgia Anti-Gang Network meets days after Atlanta police officer shot by known gang member
ATLANTA - Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, First Lady Marty Kemp and Attorney General Chris Carr sat in on a meeting discussing state and local efforts to support law enforcement and other state and local partners in the fight against criminal gang activity in Georgia.
Kemp and Carr are urging lawmakers to help law enforcement combat gang activity. Both spoke candidly about the state's gang problem Wednesday after a meeting with local, state, and federal gang task force specialists.
The governor and the attorney general said local and state law enforcement agencies must work together to suppress gang-related activity and violent crimes were innocent civilians and police are often the victims.
"They are shoot first, ask questions later and this is what our men and women are dealing with every day," the governor said.
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Governor Kemp took aim at Georgia gang members and the havoc he said they're bringing to big cities and rural areas.
"This is an everyday problem for us and State Patrol Crime Suppression Unit here in Atlanta. I mean we are literally battling this everyday all across the state with GBI," Kemp said.
The governor cited the shooting Monday of Atlanta Police Officer David Rodgers who was trying to execute an arrest warrant when he was shot six times by a man identified by police as a known gang member.
"Thankfully, that officer, amazingly…is doing relatively well. I want to continue our thoughts and prayers," Kemp said.
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The Georgia Anti-Gang Network is a task force formed by the Georgia Attorney General's Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and other state and local law enforcement agencies. During a meeting on Wednesday afternoon in Atlanta, Attorney General Chris Carr said 60 percent of all violent crime in Georgia is gang related. And 80 percent of the human trafficking he said is also tied to gang members.
"It’s all about making money right now. Selling guns, drugs, human beings, cybercrime, even stealing people’s benefits, anyway to make money, that’s the gangs…organized retail crime," Carr said.
A 2018 survey of local law enforcement in Georgia indicated all but two counties in the state have seen gang activity.
"It's not just an Atlanta issue," Carr said.
Carr wants legislation that would broaden the reach of state law officers trying to help local jurisdictions combat gang activity. He and the governor said it would help keep civilians and officers safe.
"We’re gonna continue to move the needle, but we need everyone else in the fight at the local level with us. And we got to go after these people. Boots on the ground are making a difference," Kemp said.
The governor said he's not letting up on the state level efforts to suppress violent crime and gang activity. He said the arrest of several murder suspects in recent months is proof state intervention is making a difference.
The tasks force will meet later this year.