Governor Youngkin announces Executive Order 41 to combat gang violence

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – In an effort to combat gangs and gang violence, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday that he has signed a new executive order.

“Executive Order 41 takes all of these efforts to combat gangs and gang violence to a whole new level,” Youngkin said. “The Governor’s Task Force on Gang Intelligence will be established so we can work together on investigations and prosecutions. It establishes State Police as the central source for all gang data and requires everyone to report it so we know what’s going on across the state.”

According to the Governor’s Office, the Commonwealth’s law enforcement agencies are currently combating over 650 identified criminal street gangs and criminal organizations. According to officials, the executive order calls for establishing a central repository for gang-related data, creating a gang intelligence task force, increasing awareness of gang anti-gang and youth prevention strategies, and deterring criminal gang activity through training of criminal justice personnel and increased law enforcement and investigations.

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“We know that youth involvement in gangs has increased by 800% in recent years, meaning gangs are recruiting even younger members.”

This comes approximately two years after the launch of the Operation Ceasefire initiative.

“While we have made incredible progress in reducing crime through our Operation Bold Blue Line, Operation Free Virginia and Operation Ceasefire, we are focused on preventing gang activity because it is a significant contributor to criminal activity throughout the Commonwealth.”

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Azeem Majeed, from Norfolk, hopes officers will think about recruiting people like him to deter young people from a life of crime. Majeed says he was never part of a gang but explained that he has spent more than 25 years in prison since he was 17. He says he has been out for about three years and is committed to helping at-risk youth.

“It takes people like me who have lived those lifestyles, right, overcome them and come out successful on the other side… to curb this violence. We are the cure,” Majeed explained. “You can resonate with them in a way that other people can’t.”

More information about Executive Order 41 can be found here.