The Gang Unit is tasked with prosecuting offenses involving Criminal Street Gangs. Texas Law defines a Criminal Street Gang as a group of three or more persons having a common identifying sign or symbol or an identifiable leadership who continuously or regularly associate in the commission of criminal activities.
In the City of Dallas alone, there are over 100 documented Criminal Street Gangs and over 9000 documented gang members. Criminal Street Gangs engage in every type of criminal activity from narcotics sales and trafficking to human trafficking along with every type of violent crime.
The popularity of Criminal Street Gangs is driven largely by popular culture. Children are joining and aligning themselves with Criminal Street Gangs at an earlier age due to the advent of social media. We live in an age where one need look no further than their phone to find information about who is in what gang and which gangs don't get along. In an alarming trend, innocent citizens are increasingly being caught in the crossfire as battling Criminal Street Gangs settle their petty differences on buses and trains and in malls and schools.
The Gang Unit works with local, state, and federal law enforcement to identify and address geographical hot spots and troubling trends in Criminal Street Gang activity. Engaging with intelligence-sharing groups such as the North Texas Violent Gang Task Force has given the Gang Unit an advantage in the fight against Criminal Street Gangs.
Through collaboration and targeted investigations the Gang Unit is proactive in the prosecution of Criminal Street Gangs. As part of the collaboration the Unit is active in community outreach and education. The Dallas County District Attorney's Office is confident that by partnering with other agencies and reaching out to the communities we serve, children will begin to hear the message that joining a gang is the worst decision they could ever make.
