mr. speaker , as the congressman said , i have 33 years of law enforcement experience . 
in fact , up until january 3 of this year , i was a cop . 
one of the things i know about cops is that they need all kinds of tools , and we do need police officers on the street ; but one of the most important things that cops want is to know that their community supports them , local , state , and federal . 
mr. speaker , we are here today to talk about a very serious problem . 
across the country we are seeing a resurgence of organized crime sprawling into our towns and our neighborhoods . 
gangs are becoming a magnet for youth , as they long to belong to something . 
this is hardly the team we want our children to join . 
gang violence in america is not a sudden problem . 
it has been a part of urban life for years , offering an aggressive definition and identity to those seeking a place to belong in the chaos of a large metropolitan area . 
however , as gangs gain momentum and invade smaller communities , it is time to take a more serious and focused approach . 
the gentleman from virginia ( mr. forbes ) xz4001370 addresses this critical problem today in the gang deterrence and community protection act of 2005 . 
prior to being elected to sheriff , as i said , i served 33 years as a cop . 
i have worked with prostitutes , drug dealers , and gang bangers for that length of time . 
my colleagues in the sheriff 's office and i actively fought to curb the growth and influence of gangs . 
i know not only in my home state of washington but across the country , law enforcement officers recognize gangs for the serious threat they are to our community . 
i believe in taking problems head on , not running away . 
you evaluate the facts , you make a decision , and then you see the solution through . 
we have recognized the consequence of letting this situation go forward for far too long . 
it is dangerous to all americans . 
whether a gang currently has a presence in our hometowns or not , we need to take a careful look at where this issue is headed and stop the influence of gangs before it spirals out of control and out of our hands . 
the united states department of justice cites that there are currently 25 , 000 active gangs in 3 , 000 jurisdictions across this country ; 25 , 000 gangs . 
that equals 750 , 000 gang members . 
if growth continues , we could be looking at 1 million gang members across the country in only a few years . 
these groups are a funnel to criminal activities , allowing a central point to encourage violence and a family that preaches drug trafficking , murder , theft , prostitution , and rape . 
in fact , street gangs are the primary distributor of illegal drugs in the united states . 
mr. speaker , i am a man of faith who believes deeply in family and responsibility . 
our obligation is to american families and communities . 
we need to look out for their futures . 
we need to direct our youth towards a path of success and progress as productive members of society looking towards a better country . 
we can not afford to lose those talented youths in our community to a life on the street with drugs and a gang hierarchy whose form of discipline is violence . 
mr. speaker , i applaud the gentleman from virginia 's efforts to deter gangs across the country and urge my colleagues to support the rule and vote for final passage later today . 
