The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) is pleased to announce an Executive Level Gang Summit to be conducted on June 27 and 28, 2012 at the Hotel Roanoke, in Roanoke, Virginia. The Gang Summit will include the presentation of current information on gangs and gang violence in Virginia and will feature a variety of successful programs and approaches to address these problems.

This invitation is extended to executive level decision makers from Virginia’s law enforcement community and Virginia school superintendents. In turn, we ask that you identify and invite key leaders of community service agencies, community groups, and faith based organizations in your community to attend this Summit with you as a team. Collectively, you and these groups represent effective tools in combating gangs and gang violence in the Commonwealth.

Some of the most serious issues law enforcement executives deal with today involve gang-related activities in their communities. There are proven and effective ways to prevent young people from joining gangs and to mobilize communities to address the issue of gangs collectively. The intent of the Summit is to showcase selected, successful programs that show how we, as a Commonwealth, can work together effectively to combat gangs and gang violence.

We sincerely hope that you will join us in Roanoke on June 27 and 28 for what promises to be a unique opportunity to learn, network, gather information and positively impact the quality of life of many Virginians.

Topics to be addressed

• The State of Gangs in Virginia by the Virginia State Police Fusion Center
• The Virginia Fusion Center: What Is It and How Can It Work for You?
• Youth Gang Reduction and Intervention Program (GRIP)
• Introduction to GRIP: A Community Approach to Combating Gangs
• Miami’s GRIP Program
• Gang Free Schools
• Introduction to the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program
• School/Police Collaboration: Schools and Law Enforcement Working Together to Keep Gangs Out of Schools
• National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise
• Targeting Destructive Lifestyles

Participants

Invitations to the Gang Summit will be extended to Virginia law enforcement chief executives and to Virginia school superintendents. We strongly urge invited participants to bring a "team" to the Gang Summit consisting of leaders of their community service agencies, community groups, and faith based organizations.

Agenda

Registration

DCJS is not currently accepting registrations for this training.

Inservice Credit

Partial Inservice Credit for law enforcement officers will be awarded for 9.5 career development and 2 hours of cultural diversity.

Cost

There is no registration fee to attend the Gang Summit.

Transportation, lodging, and meals

Participants are responsible for their transportation and lodging. DCJS will host a welcome and networking reception in the late afternoon on June 27, 2012 and a continental breakfast and plated lunch on June 28, 2012.

The Hotel Roanoke has blocked rooms for this event at the state rate of $96.00. You may secure a room with these rates by mentioning you are attending the Executive Level Gang Summit.

The Hotel Roanoke has reserved all of the rooms set aside for the Executive Level Gang Summit, June 27-28, 2012. Attendees needing hotel reservations should call the Sheraton Roanoke Hotel at (540) 563-9300 (ask for in-house reservations) or (800) 325-3535. You will need to mention your attendance at the Gang Summit in order to receive the $96 State rate.

The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center
110 Shenandoah Avenue
Roanoke, VA 24016

Phone: 540-985-5900
Fax: 540-853-8290

Doubletree: 1- 866-594-4722

You may book your reservation(s) on-line by clicking on the following link:

http://doubletree.hilton.com/en/dt/groups/personalized/R/ROASWDT-DCJ-20120627/index.jhtml?WT.mc_id=POG

The current cut-off date for reservations is Friday, June 1. After this date the $96 rate is not guaranteed to be available.

Contacts

For more information, please contact:

Donna Michaelis
Public Safety Training Manager
804-371-6506