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Berks County D.A. Announces Gang Task Force

by Office of the Berks County District Attorney

Feb 24, 2021

The District Attorney’s Office is announcing information regarding the Berks County Gang Task Force.  This Task Force was created thirteen (13) years ago, but because of the growing uptick in violence attributed to criminal gang members, the participants in the Gang Task Force have committed to increase targeted patrols to combat gang activity and to begin a gang intervention program.

The Gang Task Force is comprised of various law enforcement agencies throughout Berks County. The Berks County District Attorney’s Office and the Berks County District Attorney Detectives along with the Berks County Juvenile and Adult Probation Offices have taken the lead of this organization which is comprised of the following agencies:

  • Berks County Jail
  • Pennsylvania State Parole
  • Federal Probation Department
  • Reading Police Department
  • Cumru Township Police Department
  • Central Berks Police Department
  • Muhlenberg Township Police Department
  • Shillington Police Department
  • Spring Township Police Department
  • West Reading Police Department
  • Wyomissing Police Department
  • Pennsylvania State Police

This Task Force will continue to identify individuals who are members of criminal gangs in our community.  If these members are involved in criminal activity, the District Attorney’s Office will seek a Gang Enhancement Sentencing Recommendation which will increase an individuals sentence if the individual was involved in a crime of violence as defined in Pennsylvania law and the offense was knowingly committed at the direction of or for the purpose of benefitting, promoting or furthering the interests of a criminal gang.

The Task Force is committed to deterring violence in our community and targeting identified gang members.  The Task Force will utilize various methods of enforcement to prevent, deter and combat violence and obtain intelligence on various gangs in our city and county.

If you have any information about crimes being committed by individuals or gangs, please contact Crime Alert Berks County or any member agency of this Task Force.  Your tips will be treated confidentially.

The Gang Task Force will also begin to initiate the GREAT Program which is the Gang Resistance Education and Training Program.  This program is meant to target elementary and middle school age children who are at risk of joining gangs as well as to develop relationships between police officers and the communities they serve.  Through this intervention program, our children will receive guidance which hopefully will steer them away from becoming involved with a gang.

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