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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT:
Victoria L. Stanish |
State Rep. Jennifer
Mann |
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Mann Co-introduced a Bill Giving Police
More Power in Combating Against Gang Violence
HARRISBURG, March 1 – State Rep. Jennifer Mann, D-Lehigh, co-introduced a bill aimed at giving police and district attorneys more power in combating the growing problems of gang violence.
The bill (H.B. 326) would define criminal gang activity and establish strict penalties for such activities. It also would authorize the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to establish a Criminal Gang Deterrence Fund to provide grants for community efforts to deter gang violence. First introduced last August, the proposal died without approval when the 2005-06 legislative session ended.
“This legislation would give law enforcement the leverage it needs to successfully prosecute violent gang members and get them off the streets,” Mann said.
Pennsylvania< is one of only 11 states without specific laws to address gang violence. Mann co-introduced the bill with state Reps. Mike Sturla, D-Lancaster; Thomas R. Caltagirone, D-Berks; Dante Santoni, D-Berks; Robert L. Freeman, D-Northampton; and Richard T. Grucela, D-Northampton.
U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales established a $2.5 million federal grant to fund local anti-gang efforts in six sites across the country, including the Route 222 corridor in Pennsylvania, which encompasses the cities of Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Reading and Lancaster.
“Gang-associated shootings and murders have been on the rise along the Route 222 corridor in the past five years, and we need to act, rather than react, if we want to get control of the situation. The General Assembly has to address this issue by providing local authorities with the funds and the legal authority to aggressively remove the threat of gang violence from our neighborhoods,” Mann said.
House Bill 326 has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee. The committee plans to hold a series of hearings across the Commonwealth to get citizen input on issues and proposed legislation related to crime, violence and gun policies.
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