Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt today announced a new initiative to combat gang activity in Kansas.
“Gang Free Kansas is a new educational initiative led by the Kansas Attorney General's Office, Kansas Bureau of Investigation and law enforcement officials from across the state to combat the growth of criminal gangs,” Schmidt said. “We need the support of parents, educators, young people and communities to help prevent youth from joining gangs and to report gang activity to law enforcement.”
Schmidt said the goals of the initiative are to keep youth from joining gangs and to educate the community on ways to identify and report gang activity to law enforcement.
Schmidt announced the program alongside local law enforcement officials in Kansas City on Wednesday morning at the first of seven planned stops on the rollout tour for the program. Other announcement stops were scheduled for Topeka, Wichita, Dodge City, Garden City, Liberal and Salina.
The program has been developed in cooperation with law enforcement throughout the state. It is based on the Gang Free Wichita program that has been led by the Wichita Crime Commission.
The program will include educational materials for local law enforcement officials to use in presentations to community groups and a website for the public to learn more about how to spot and report gang activity.
Schmidt said Kansans can learn more about the Gang Free Kansas initiative by visiting the website at www.GangFreeKansas.org.
