French Officers Look to ICE HSI for Gang Enforcement Guidance

Across the United States, gangs threaten public safety in neighborhoods and communities.

"Transnational gangs are a worldwide problem, not confined to any single country," said Mark Selby, unit chief for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations' (HSI) National Gang Unit.

Outside our country's borders, law enforcement agencies like France's Gendarmerie Nationale are facing similar problems. There, gangs typically affiliated with Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco, are trafficking narcotics and using violence to resolve issues. These gangs are territorial and strive to control criminal activity in areas where they reside.

After hearing Selby make a presentation at a EUROPOL meeting, Captain Benjamin Suzzoni of the Gendarmerie Nationale had to learn more. Suzzoni convinced his colonel, Francis Hubert, to make the trip across the pond to shadow ICE HSI special agents with the ICE HSI National Gang Unit.

"We wanted to make sure they got the full experience," Selby said.

The ICE HSI team not only shared practices and strategies on how to combat transnational gangs, but they also took the French officers on an evening ride along with local law enforcement officers from the Dallas Police Department's Gang Unit. That evening, Gendarmerie Nationale personnel observed firsthand several ICE HSI strategies used to combat gangs, ranging from field interviews with known gang members to how agents utilize confidential informants. The French officers were particularly impressed with the effectiveness of Operation Community Shield, a national gang enforcement initiative where ICE HSI partners with international, federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to combat gangs.

"We rely on all of our law enforcement partners. Without them, we wouldn't be able to successfully conduct the targeted anti-gang enforcement actions or long-term criminal enterprise investigations that we do," Selby said. "In the majority of cases, we know who we're going to arrest before we arrest them. Information sharing and intelligence from the local police departments that work with us allow us to do this."

The representatives from the Gendarmerie Nationale plan to apply similar strategies to their gang enforcement activities upon their return to France. The Gendarmerie Nationale oversees law enforcement responsibilities for nearly 95 percent of France and French territories. Its force consists of more than 100,000 personnel.

Featured

  • AI to Help Resolve Non-Emergency Calls Across Utah and Decrease 911 Caller Wait Times

    The Utah Communications Authority (UCA), which oversees the state’s next generation 911 technology services, recently announced that public safety answering points (PSAPs) throughout the state plan to implement Motorola Solutions’ Virtual Response technology to automate the receipt and resolution of 10-digit non-emergency line calls in Utah with the help of AI. Read Now

  • Report Reveals Local Governments Face Surge in Ransomware Attacks with Minimal Resources

    KnowBe4, the cybersecurity platform that comprehensively addresses human risk management, recently released new research highlighting the critical cybersecurity challenges facing state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments. The report details how government organizations have become prime targets for cybercriminals while simultaneously facing severe resource constraints. Read Now

  • Video Surveillance Trends to Watch

    With more organizations adding newer capabilities to their surveillance systems, it’s always important to remember the “basics” of system configuration and deployment, as well as the topline benefits of continually emerging technologies like AI and the cloud. Read Now

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

  • Overwhelming Majority of CISOs Anticipate Surge in Cyber Attacks Over the Next Three Years

    An overwhelming 98% of chief information security officers (CISOs) expect a surge in cyber attacks over the next three years as organizations face an increasingly complex and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven digital threat landscape. This is according to new research conducted among 300 CISOs, chief information officers (CIOs), and senior IT professionals by CSC1, the leading provider of enterprise-class domain and domain name system (DNS) security. Read Now

New Products

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • FEP GameChanger

    FEP GameChanger

    Paige Datacom Solutions Introduces Important and Innovative Cabling Products GameChanger Cable, a proven and patented solution that significantly exceeds the reach of traditional category cable will now have a FEP/FEP construction.