Please note: This training can be found on our Benchmark Learning Management System. To register, create your account or log in here, then either search for your desired training under “Available Training” or return to this page and click "Register" below to be taken directly to the event page. For more information or help, please refer to this page.
Description:
The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), in partnership with the Northeast Counterdrug Training Center (NCTC), is pleased to announce “Street Gang Investigations” training.
This course explores current trends, identifiers, and dynamics of street gang investigations. Understanding and identifying gang culture on the street and in correctional facilities requires investigators from local law enforcement and corrections to work together and share information. The intent of this course is to prepare investigators in both large and small agencies to properly identify and interdict gang activity in their respective jurisdictions, collect and manage their gang intelligence, and communicate this information with neighboring jurisdictions. Many states have their own gang enhancement statute, but it is often not utilized to prosecute at the state level. The instructors of this course will demonstrate how to take physical and stored gang intelligence and apply it in a courtroom presentation. On the final day of class, students will be given an example of how to build and/or expand their gang expert testimony presentation in a courtroom.
Not all street gangs are directly aligned or influenced by a nationally recognized gang culture. The instructors will provide reasonable explanations for why their local hybrid street gangs are just as violent and dangerous as nationally recognized gangs in larger cities. This class will explain the command structure, membership requirements, signs, and symbols a hybrid gang will create or borrow to establish its own unique identity. The instructors will provide additional guidance on how to present a combination of other evidence, such as social media, cellphone data, firearms, and ballistics, along with your gang evidence, to enhance your presentations to an audience. This course will also explain the steps for creating and maintaining a successful Street Gang Investigation Unit and how it plays an important role in building trusting relationships between the police and the community.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will have gained knowledge in:
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Why street gang investigations are important to your agency
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How national gang cultures and social media influence your local gangs
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How your local gangs adapt signs, symbols, tattoos, and identities
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How to collect and document your local gang's racketeering activity
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28 CFR Part 23, gang identification policy, and gang database considerations
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Gang surveillance, search warrants, enforcement action, and community relationships
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Safety tactics during encounters with gang members
Who Should Attend:
This training is only open to sworn law enforcement officers and analysts (federal, state, and local), employees with the State Department of Corrections, employees with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, employees with the Prosecuting/District Attorney’s Office (state and federal), and/or employees of the County Adult and Juvenile Probation Department.
Partial In-Service Credit (PIC):
Partial In-Service Credit (PIC) for Virginia law enforcement officers will be available.
Travel, Lodging, and Meals:
Participants are responsible for transportation, meals, lodging arrangements, and related expenses.
Training Details:
Check-in will begin at 7:30 am.
Training begins at 8:00 am and concludes at 4:00 pm each day.
Cost and Registration:
There is no cost to attend this training; however, pre-registration is required.
To Register:
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Visit the Northeast Counterdrug Training Center’s website at www.counterdrug.org
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Click on the Northeast Counterdrug Training Center “Enter Site.”
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Find the training that you would like to register for under Upcoming Training and select “Register.”
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Log in to your NCTC account (an NCTC account is required to register for training).
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Agree to the Terms and Conditions.
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Click on “Register.”
Please note that the DCJS registration system does not have the capacity to sort eligible from ineligible registrants. Therefore, anyone who registers will receive a confirmation. It is the responsibility of the DCJS-assigned course coordinator to review the roster and make a final determination on acceptance into the course. Denied registrants will be notified via the email address provided during registration.