Albany community to host first gang task force meeting of 2020

(ALBANY, GA)- After almost three months, law enforcement and concerned community members will come together again to discuss fighting gang crime in the good life city.

Albany City commissioner, Jon Howard, wants more than just the usual crowd at the meetings moving forward.

He tells us, “We’ve got to always be proactive. And when I say proactive, we’ve got to be aware, informed and engaged, and educate ourselves. Especially for the younger generation, cause those are the ones that we’re trying to help turn their lives around.”

Since the last meeting held before the holiday season, the City of Albany has received some help in trying to clean up the community.

With help coming from the re-established Georgia Bureau of Investigation Office in Albany, and the Albany police working to establish more neighborhood watch groups.

Task Force Co-Organizer, Judy Bowles says, ”The biggest thing we need at this point is for our citizens to be interested and come to the meetings. They need to learn how many gangs we have, what neighborhoods they’re in, and what the gangs are doing.”

While attendance for these meetings saw a rise towards the end of the year, the focus will be on making sure that local law enforcement and the GBI have what they need to clean up the streets.

“What we have is someone who’s here that is informed, and engaged, and cares about the City of Albany and Doughetry. So the more eyes we have on the prize, the better off we will be as a city,” says Commissioner Howard.

The meeting will be held in room 120 of the Government Center on Thursday, February 27th at 1 P.M.