Statement By Governor Abbott On Establishment Of North Texas Anti-Gang Center
Governor Greg Abbott today released a statement following the Criminal Justice Division’s $1.2 million grant to the City of North Richland Hills to establish, furnish and equip the North Texas Anti-Gang Center, which will be tasked with combatting organized gang activity within an eleven-county region.
“We must do more to crack down on gang activity and prevent organized crime from taking root across Texas, and this grant is a crucial step toward that goal. I am proud of the work the Criminal Justice Division is doing on behalf of the State of Texas to combat illegal gang activity and I am grateful to the City of North Richland Hills for taking the lead on establishing this center,” Governor Abbott said. “This new facility will replicate the successful anti-gang center in Houston and will directly challenge the gangs that threaten the safety of our communities.”
The North Texas Anti-Gang Center is the second multi-agency center to be established in Texas. The Texas Anti-Gang Center in Houston was established in 2012 and the Department of Public Safety is working to establish the South Texas Anti-Gang Center in Weslaco. As part of his Bicentennial Blueprint’s “Securing Texans” plan, Governor Abbott called for expanding the Texas Anti-Gang Program to include centers across the state.
The eleven counties benefiting from this grant are:
• Dallas
• Tarrant
• Collin
• Denton
• Kaufman
• Navarro
• Ellis
• Johnson
• Hood
• Parker
• Smith