The Dallas District Attorney’s Office plans to beef up its gang unit with $1.2 million grant that will double the unit in size.
The idea is that the DA will be able to more aggressively go after the most violent gang members in our area.
The unit will go from one prosecutor to three, and one investigator to two.
Assistant DA Thomas Adams said they will focus largely on transnational gangs like 18th Street and MS-13.
He said they’re up against the appeal of social media and what it does to attract younger members – many who end up on trial for violent offenses.
"You see it on social media, you see it on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube where you see kids glorifying this lifestyle," said Adams. "But then when it actually boils over into our streets, into our communities where it’s not just a video, it’s actual life and we're sitting here with mothers and fathers who are having to bury their own children and that’s the hard part of this job."
Adams said some of the money will go to preventive programs as well. The DA said the mission will include gang awareness, intervention and one-on-one visits at schools in the Dallas Independent School District.
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A spokeswoman with the DA’s office said they will work to fill the positions as quickly as possible.
