Warren warned of growing gang risk Information session. Detective says towns reluctant to report issue. Wednesday, October 04, 2006 • By SARA K. SATULLO • The Express-Times WASHINGTON TWP. | At a gang-awareness presentation Tuesday evening, area educators expressed concern over Warren County's handling of what they said was a growing problem. About 100 educators, law enforcement officials, parents and students attended the informational session at Warren County Technical School, put on by the county prosecutor's office and the county Human Relations Commission. State police street gang detectives described different gangs in the country and the most prevalent ones in the state. Presenters urged the community to be aware and to report problems before they get out of hand. Half the attendees in the room raised their hands to indicate they believe the county has a gang problem. "There's not a huge influx of gang members in your county. But I'm sure there's small incidents, and residents must be aware," said state gang Detective Mike Clifford. According to a 2004 state police survey of municipalities there are 16,000 identified gang members in New Jersey. Clifford said that number is grossly misrepresented because police departments and politicians are hesitant to designate their towns as gang problem areas. Warren Hills Regional High School Principal Tim O'Brien said his staff sees evidence of gangs in the district. "We are not totally in denial, but once it gets sent to the judges our hands are tied," he said. "And then they send these students back to us the next day." O'Brien asked county prosecutor Thomas S. Ferguson if judges were unaware of the growing trend in the county. "I can't speak for the courts. All I can tell you is that we take it (juvenile crime) very seriously," Ferguson said. Five months ago, the prosecutor's office created a countywide gang task force run by Detective John Serafin. The goal is to create a database similar to the one state authorities have on gang members and activity while staying on top of the problem, Serafin said. The prosecutor's narcotics division is also involved. O'Brien, the school principal, said school officials have been carefully monitoring students but can't help what happens outside of school. "Where is the community and county support?" he said. Warren Hills High School junior Cornelius Cody said the presentation taught him all the signs to look for and made it easier to report problems. Seeing his principal in the audience let him know the school takes the problem seriously, he said. "It is good to know they are actually talking about it and the community is doing something," Cody said. "But I think the fact there is one person in the county working on this is sad." © 2006 The Express-Times. Used with permission.