Is there a gang problem in Lee County?
There is a presence of gangs in Lee County, but to say there is a gang problem would be premature. As early as 1992, long before there was any real sign of gang activity in Lee County, the Sheriff began researching the insurgence of youth gangs in Dade, Broward, and Collier Counties. In studying the cycle of youth gang developments in those areas, we learned what to look for and how to interrupt the development of youth gangs in Lee County. So far, it has worked. In addition to instituting a Gang Unit several years ago the Sheriff trained the School Resources Officers in youth gang awareness and intervention. Considering there are about 80,000 students registered in Lee County schools, the number of associated youth gang members is very small. We contribute that small number to aggressive efforts to Sheriff’s Office members in dealing with gang-related matters at the very first sign of activity. To date, the Sheriff’s Office Gang Investigators has identified about 729 documented gang m
