Art. 61.10. TEXAS VIOLENT GANG TASK FORCE    


(a) In this article, "task force" means the Texas Violent Gang Task Force.

(b) The purpose of the task force is to form a strategic partnership among local, state, and federal criminal justice, juvenile justice, and correctional agencies to better enable those agencies to take a proactive stance towards tracking gang activity and the growth and spread of gangs statewide.

(c) The task force shall focus its efforts on:

(1) developing, through regional task force meetings, a statewide networking system that will provide timely access to gang information;

(2) establishing communication between different criminal justice, juvenile justice, and correctional agencies, combining independent agency resources, and joining agencies together in a cooperative effort to focus on gang membership, gang activity, and gang migration trends; and

(3) forming a working group of criminal justice, juvenile justice, and correctional representatives from throughout the state to discuss specific cases and investigations involving gangs and other related gang activities.

(d) The task force may take any other actions as necessary to accomplish the purposes of this article.

(e) The Department of Public Safety shall support the task force to assist in coordinating statewide antigang initiatives.

(f) The task force shall consist of:

(1) a representative of the Department of Public Safety designated by the director of that agency;

(2) two representatives of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, including a representative of the parole division, designated by the executive director of that agency;

(3) a representative of the office of the inspector general of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice designated by the inspector general;

(4) a representative of the Texas Youth Commission designated by the executive director of that agency;

(5) a representative of the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission designated by the executive director of that agency;

(6) a representative of the office of the attorney general designated by the attorney general;

(7) six representatives who are local law enforcement officers or local community supervision personnel, including juvenile probation personnel, designated by the governor; and

(8) two representatives who are local prosecutors designated by the governor.

(g) If practicable, the task force shall consult with representatives from one or more United States Attorneys' Offices in this state and with representatives from the following federal agencies who are available and assigned to a duty station in this state:

(1) the Federal Bureau of Investigation;

(2) the Federal Bureau of Prisons;

(3) the United States Drug Enforcement Administration;

(4) United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement;

(5) United States Customs and Border Protection;

(6) the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives;

(7) the United States Marshals Service; and

(8) the United States Probation and Pretrial Services System.

Added by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 492, Sec. 1, eff. June 18, 1999. Renumbered from Vernon's Ann. C.C.P. art. 61.07 by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1420, Sec. 21.001(14), eff. Sept. 1, 2001. Amended by: Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 380 , Sec. 4, eff. June 17, 2011.