Mayor announces new website, increased resources to fight gangs.
Mayor Richard Berry announced the creation of a new anti-gang website and said the city will take other new steps to blunt gang activity.
Speaking at a Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce luncheon, Berry said the new site, stopabqgangs.org, will offer tips on spotting gang activity, tattoos and graffiti. People can also submit tips anonymously, then get a tracking number to follow how police respond.
Berry warned that the new website is graphic, with information on the violent initiations recruits endure to join a gang.
"It's just really a very sobering website," Berry said. "We want to have a candid conversation with the community."
Albuquerque doesn't necessarily have a worse gang problem than other places, he said, but it wouldn't be right to pretend gang activity doesn't happen here. More than a hundred different gangs have been documented in Albuquerque, sometimes home-grown ones and sometimes just others that pass through town.
The website features a secure section for law-enforcement agencies to share information with each other.
It also provides explanations for parents and teachers, so they will be better informed when talking to their children and students.
Berry also said he will triple, to 15, the number of police officers dedicated to gang activity.