Despite warning of growing local gang activity, authorities in Charlottesville and Albemarle County are currently not receiving any federal or state funding designated for fighting gang violence. These funding streams, however, are beginning to appeal to local officials.
"We’d be open to it," says Albemarle County police Lieutenant John Teixeira. "We have to be flexible when certain crimes or certain crime trends show up repeatedly."
Even if it received funding for anti-gang initiatives, Albemarle County might have a hard time spending it. "Quite frankly, we’re so shorthanded on the street, we’re barely able to cover the calls for service in the county," says Lieutenant John Teixeira.
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The Department of Justice offers numerous Justice Assistance grants to localities seeking financial aid for gang reduction, prevention and education. State and federal money poured into the Shenandoah Valley following three homicides from 2001 to 2005 that were linked to national gang activity. In August 2006, Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell announced a Shenandoah Valley Anti-Gang Initiative to operate from Harrisonburg to Lexington. The initiative included a full-time federal gang prosecutor and gang analyst.
Locally, however, police have linked few incidents to national gangs like the Bloods or Crips. The first and most prominent was an April 2006 beating that police speculated was related to a gang initiation for the Bloods.
Though Teixeira estimates the county police department’s current budget is funded by between $1.5 million and $2 million in grants, he notes that none of those funds are specifically designated for cracking down on gang-related activity. If the police department were to apply for a federal or state grant, then it would have to meet certain guidelines. According to Teixeira, this would be difficult with the strain currently being placed on the department.
"Quite frankly, we’re so shorthanded on the street, we’re barely able to cover the calls for service in the county," says Teixeira. "We have to fulfill our basic mission, which is preventing crime in Albemarle County. Sometimes it’s hard to balance when you don’t have enough staff or resources."
Though the City of Charlottesville similarly does not receive any anti-gang funding from either the state or federal government, city spokesman Ric Barrick indicates that city officials are looking at some of the new grants available. He says the city will be applying for some of these financial opportunities in the near future.
Although not funded by specifically anti-gang dollars, the local service-learning program Teens GIVE does receive money from the Governor’s Office for Substance Abuse Prevention. A $20,000 grant, divided equally between the city and county, supports the program that provides community-based volunteer activities for children. These activities, along with counseling and other support services, aim to reach children who are at risk for potential gang involvement, says Rory Carpenter, juvenile justice coordinator for the Charlottesville/Albemarle Commission of Children and Families.
"This summer we’ve seen some increase in some violent acts that have impacted our community, some of which have evidently been gang related," says Carpenter. "I think there is a heightened sense of awareness in the community."
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