When? --- August 3rd, August 4th, August 5th, 2026
Where is it being held? --- Westin Michigan Avenue Chicago Hotel
Why Attend? Read more inside this on-line version of the brochure.
Who
Should Attend: Anyone who is impacted by
the gang problem, whatever your role, rank, or status in life. If you can be
potentially enlisted in the fight against gangs, you are welcome. From prosecutor
to corrections professional, from gang specialist police officer to gang counselor
at the local high school or a local prevention program; or maybe you are just
someone who wants to learn a lot more about gangs and network with others nationwide.
How to Attend: A registration form is provided at the end of this file, you can fax it in or mail it in. You can print out just the Registration Form itself at www.ngcrc.com/register.html
NGCRC CONTACT INFO: (TEL: 708 258-9111; FAX 708 258-9546).
The 2026 NGCRC 29th Gang Specialist Training Conference
2026 Conference Information Site--- The Full Text On-Line Version
Last UPDATED: September 16, 2025
© Copyright 2025, NGCRC, Chicago, IL.. You are now in the "2026 Conference" section of the National Gang Crime Research Center, this is a lengthy text file providing a detailed description of the August 3-August 5, 2026 NGCRC Gang Training Confererence being held in Chicago; the main website of the NGCRC is: www.ngcrc.com Click here if you want to visit the main page of the NGCRC: www.ngcrc.com.
What's New: We Are Creating a Massive Training Curriculum --- See Below
We are now creating the 2026 NGCRC Gang Training Program. The 2026 curriculum will be listed at: https://ngcrc.com/courses.html
Additional courses or sessions will be added between now and the date of the conference. The NGCRC gang training conference is unique in providing so many different choices and always has over 100 session for trainees to pick from.
Advance information about the 2026 curriculum will soon list the courses for the 2026 NGCRC Gang Training Conference. Over N = 100 sessions were listed in the 2025 curriculum. The 2026 curriculum promises to be bigger and better than ever before. It is listed at the 2025 Courses Page: https://ngcrc.com/courses.html There are N = 27 sessions currently listed here. This is therefore a partial listing.
It is also listed at the end of this file. Note that it is only an "advance" or beginning listing.
What's New: Statistical Evaluation Results
from the 2025 Conference Reported Below
The statiistical results
from the analysis of evaluation data for the 2025 conference are now here. See
below, though, very consistent results from year to year from previous evaluations.
What's New: Get Your Free Ticket to a Cubs Baseball Game.
This IS A BASEBALL SOCIAL NETWORKING EVENT . These tickets are available free to those registered for Certification or Non-Certification, one per person on a first come, first served basis. One ticket per person. Only one baseball networking event ticket per person. See more information below. Yes, we still have some remaining tickets to give away. The Cubs are playing against the L.A. Dodgers on Monday August 3rd and Tuesday August 4th. So pick ONE of these game attendance options. See more information below.
What's New: The NGCRC Continues to Set the Standard for the Highest Calibre of Gang Training
The NGCRC now has a special training track dealing with and focusing on gang victims, the victims of gang crime, and witness services for persons who are witnesses to gang crimes, as well as the special attention needed for the survivors of gang related homicides. The NGCRC is proud to note that one of the gang specialist trainers is Dr Janice Joseph is also an international leader in the area of victimology.. Dr. Joseph teaches criminal justice at Stockton University in Pomona, New Jersey. Recently, she was elected to be the president of the World Society of Victimology (WSV) and gave her presidential speech during the 17th International Symposium of the WSV being held in San Sebastian, Spain. She previously served as president of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS). Elvis Slaughter is a criminologist who served as a fire and police commissioner, and is a retired Cook County Sheriff’s Superintendent with more than thirty years’ experience in criminal justice, corrections, and law enforcement. Slaughter holds a Master’s in Criminal Justice and Corrections. He has authored several articles and ten books, which include Safer Jail and Prison Matters, Mentally Ill Inmates and Corrections, and Preschool to Prison. Elvis is a speaker, security consultant, and correctional auditor. He is also a member of the American Jail Association, American Correctional Association, Hammond Police Citizen Advisory Commission, National Sheriff’s Association, Illinois Sheriff’s Association, and former president of he Illinois Academy of Criminology. Elvis taught criminal justice at the college level. A published article by him on the topic of gang victim and witness services published in the Journal of Gang Research. Look at the "quotes" from those who attended the 2024 conference (provided below) to see many examples of how the NGCRC training conference is regarded as the best in its class.
This is Your Invitation to Attend the August 3, 2026 - August 5, 2026 Conference:
It's the conference you cannot afford to miss. In the summer of 2026, the National Gang Crime Research Center will hold its 29th gang training conference in Chicago --- once again bringing together the Nation's top experts on gangs and gang-related issues.
It's the experience you’ve come to expect --- the opportunity to network with law enforcement, corrections, prevention and intervention gang specialists, those working in K-12 Schools, the mental health field, nd private sector professionals from all over the country and abroad.
Once again, the NGCRC will be offering you an enormous variety of choices to craft the education that is most pertinent to you and your jurisdiction.
You'll come away with new insights, the latest intell, and the most effective strategies to combat gangs.
You cannot afford to miss the NGCRC's 29th Gang Specialist Training Conference in Chicago (Summer, 2026).
Don't delay!
There is a registration form for you at www.ngcrc.com/register.html and at the end of this large text file which describes the training conference in great detail.
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AN INVITATION FOR GANG SPECIALIST PRESENTERS:
Dear Gang Specialist:
The NGCRC cordially invites you to consider making a presentation at the 2026 Twenty Nineth NGCRC International Gang Specialist Training Conference (August 3rd - August 5th, 2026 at the Westin Hotel). The 2026 event is going to be a major event in gang training. There will be some new and wonderful events at the 2026 NGCRC Conference, you will want to be a part of it. Perhaps doing so as both an attendee, plus being a presenter too. There is still time to get a session added to the 2026 conference. Some high priority track areas we are trying to find new presenters for include: (a) Motorcycle gangs, (b) Gangs and Organized Crime, (c) Faith-Based Programs for Gang Intervention, (d) Gang Victim, Witness, and Survivor Services, and (3) Intelligence Analysis for Gang Specialists..
This is your formal invitation to submit
one or more “session proposals”. When you make a presentation at
the NGCRC training conference you get national attention. You get a lot of positive
exposure.
To help you get started, below, please find a "Session Proposal Form". It is simple, there are only a couple things we need on the form. The most important is going to be the topic and the abstract. We encourage you to think creatively. We can also help you if you want it: we can help you with picking a topic, or with finalizing a topic. To get help, just call (708) 258-9111 and ask to speak to someone from the 2026 Curriculum Committee. Or leave a number, and someone will call you.
The NGCRC supplies the following equipment to all training rooms and thus to all presenters: an LCD or data projector. We do not supply laptop computers. You must bring your own laptop to connect to the LCD projector. The NGCRC also supplies a screen, work or equipment table, a lecturn, and a power strip, and an external speaker if you need it (we like to use Bose Soundocks, but we have other models). Overhead projectors have not been asked for for years. We can sometimes help with exotic technology requests, but again, you need to first personally inquire with us. We have a NGCRC Tech Team on the premises at the conference at all times to assist presenters with the use of standared presentation-related equipment (LCD projectors, loud speakers, etc).
If you need audio equipment, we have an assortment of computer speakers that can be checked out of the Goodwill Ambassador's Equipment Room, you will need to check in with them when you first arrive at the conference. Some audio equipment like the large and powerful speakers (we have a few of the Bose Sound Dock speakers, has connector to iPod or iPhone) need to be reserved at the Equipment Room if you want it set up in advance in your room, so check in with them Sunday evening or Monday morning. You need to go to the equipment room as soon as you get to the conference to check in with them if you want any sound system or speakers. Feel free to bring your own speakers even your own LCD or data projector if you like. But we have all the basic equipment you need for a power point presentation alrady set-up in whatever breakout room you are assigned to in the final schedule.
You can also get help with “creative ideas” for a new session proposal. We already know what some of the “need areas are”, so you can get good feedback and counseling from the NGCRC on the type of session that will be “popular” and well attended in 2026. We can do this interactively with you on the phone, again, just call (708) 258-9111 and ask to speak to someone from the 2026 Curriculum Committee. Or leave a number, and someone will call you. You will find more information about the call for presenters below. Note: The call for presenters will likely end early this year, as we had over N = 100 different sessions in the 2025 program. So act now if you are interested. Our goal is to have a larger than noral number of sessions for the 2026 program, and maybe your session will be part of this history making event.
Cordially,
George W. Knox, Ph.D.
Executive Director
NGCRC
- - -
CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS FOR THE 2026 NGCRC 29th GANG SPECIALIST TRAINING CONFERENCE:
This is an official invitation for you to be a presenter at the 2025 NGCRC 28th Gang Specialist Training Conference to be held in Chicago, August 3, 2026 thru August 5, 2026 at the Westin Michigan Avenue Hotel, 909 N. Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL. This invitation is subject to withdrawal and deletion from this website page listing once the curriculum is full and finalized (e.g., there might no longer be any room for new presenters). But at this date, we encourage anyone to submit a new sesion proposal. All the information you need is provided here.
You want to act quickly on this invitation to become a presenter at the 2026 NGCRC conference. We are planning on some new and exciting events this year. You want to become a part of this exciting 2026 Conference. Please note, though, that no financial incentives of any kind (including waiver of registration fees) can be offered. Presenters will be expected to be registered for the conference, unless special arrangements are made.
You are cordially invited to submit a session proposal for the 2026 NGCRC gang training conference. You are allowed to submit and present more than one proposal.
The presentations may vary in length from a minimum of one hour to a maximum of three hours. Most sessions are one or two hours in length. You will need to select a title that accurately reflects what people will learn in the session; you need to specify how long the session will last in duration; you need to decide which “tracks” your session will give credit for; you need to provide a short “abstract” or description of what the session will cover; and you need to provide a short "bio" about yourself.
The "Session Proposal Form" is provided below for your use. Please follow that as a template or guideline. Feel free to call if you have questions (call 708-258-9111, just ask to speak with someone from the 2026 Curriculum Committee).
If there was a topic you wanted to consider for a session, but you needed some information or clarification: then again, you are encouraged to call any time in this regard ---- for example, just to “run an idea” up the flag pole, would a certain topic be useful at the conference, etc. While the NGCRC is very good at nurturing new presenters, we are not able to offer you any type of financial assistance. Note: The call for presenters will end shortly.
Here is some good advice to anyone interested in being a presenter at the NGCRC Conference: make sure that the content of your session corresponds to the title of your session. There is an evaluation form that all attendees complete, and they are asked to evaluation and provide a rating of between zero "0" (not effective) to ten "10" (very effective) as a range of how effective the speaker was. So do not subject yourself or the NGCRC to any potential criticism for having a misleading session title. The best way to avoid such a potential criticism is once you start your power point presentation, right after the title page, your second page of the power point presentation should be an outline of what is actually covered in your session. You might also created a page for what is not covered in your session, in both cases at the start up of your session. This way, if someone is looking or shopping for a specific issue, they have time to get up and leave right away and go to a different session. There are always 7 or 8 or more sessions going on at once.
Your proposal(s) will be evaluated by the 2026 Curriculum Committee. We are usually able to get back to you with a decision in ten (10) days. You can use the form below or a facsimile of this form to submit your session proposal.
Call for Presenters:
2026 NGCRC Conference Session Proposal Form
(Worksheet and Outline)
Title of Your Session:_________________________________________________________
Duration of Your Session in Hours:_______________ hours
Any restrictions on who can attend? ___Yes ___No (if Yes, who do you want to restrict this to___________)
What Track(s) Will This Session Fit Into?_________________________________________
Abstract (describe what people will learn in your session, about 100-150 words)
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Bio (describe your credentials, achievements, 100-150 words)
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Please submit your session proposal soon, call if you have any questions. Fax it to: (708) 258-9546 and then mail it to make sure we get it: NGCRC, 2026 Curriculum Committee, PO Box 990, Peotone, IL 60468. Warning: The call for presenters will close early this year. It closed early in 2025.
Here is one sample of a session from a previous NGCRC conference, note the format has a “gang” issue in the title; gives a duration; specifies what tracks the session will be useful for (feel free to call about this if you need help: call 708-258-9111, just say you want to talk to someone from the Curriculum Committee).
"Gangs and Extremists in the American Military: A Current Assessment", by Dr. Michael J. Witkowski, CPP, Associate Professor, Department of Criminal Justice, University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, MI.
Duration: Two (2) hours
Session Credits: Management and Supervision Skills for Gang Specialists; Domestic Counter-Terrorism Skills; Gang Crime Investigation Skills; Gangs in the Military.
Abstract
Gang member and extremist infiltration of American occupations now includes legitimate businesses/corporations as well as military careers. Gang life on many military installations is now common as gang members move with parents in the military from place to place helping disseminate gang culture. Some so-called super gangs (e.g., Gangster Disciples) encourage military ties for gaining access to weapons and training. This security concern with gangs in the American workplace and military is legitimate given present day terrorist linkages. Based on a recent survey of gang members and extremists from jail locations we will examine the main types of occupations/busineses/military specialties that they are seeking out in 2022. This segment will seek to enlighten security and law enforcement professionals on the emergent threats posed by street gangs and extremist groups who are increasingly entering mainstream occupations and the armed services.
Bio
Dr. Michael J. Witkowski, CPP is a nationally known security litigation expert with many years experience in handling civil litigation relating to street gangs. He has researched gang activity in a variety of venues including: public housing, casinos, fast-food restaurants, apartment complexes, concerts, shopping centers, and convenience stores. He is an author several published articles of research on gang/hategroups in sensitive employment sectors (e.g., security/military). He is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice and administers the Graduate Program in Security Administration at the University of Detroit Mercy. He teaches courses in Juvenile Justice and Gangs and Deviant Social Groups and is a regular presenter to the Detroit Police 80 Hour Crime Prevention School. He is also a member of the Crime Prevention Association of Michigan (CPAM).
THE NGCRC IS NOT ABLE TO PROVIDE ANY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE OF ANY KIND TO PRESENTERS:
This is a longstanding policy, but needs to be formally declared in writing when dealing with the issue of invitations for presentations. Please be advised that the NGCRC is not able to provide any financial assistance of any kind to presenters. The NGCRC has not asked for any government subsidy, and thus no funding is available to assist presenters along these lines. The NGCRC treasures the intellectual freedom it has in addressing the wide range of issues it covers in the curriculum, and it may not be able to offer some of its curriculum features with government subsidies or there could be a disadvantageous expectation from government funding that relates to our current “independence”. The NGCRC by making this invitation for session proposals specifically declares that this it is not able to provide any kind of financial assistance, subsidy, allowance, fee, honorarium, per diem, travel, or reimbursement of expenses, etc for persons making presentations.
TOPICS WE REALLY NEED PRESENTERS FOR:
"Building Trust Between Actors in a Gang Violence Reduction Strategy"
"Tracing the Supply Path of Nitazines from China to Drug Cartels and American Gangs"
"The Development and Use of Effective Deconfliction Channels in the Prevention of Gang Violence"
"Gang and Extremist Involvement in Swatting Incidents"
"Gang and Chinese Organized Crime Involvement in Crime and Violence on Marijuana Farms: The Recent Examples Highlighted by NBC including Homicide in Oklahoma and California"
"Resolving Issues About the Identification of Gang Members and the Maintenance of Confidential Investigatory Gang Digital/Database Files"
"The Dynamics of Hybrid Gangs: How They Evolve and Develop"
"Brady and Massiah Training for Jail Staff"
"Victim Services for Communities Under Attack From Armed Gangs"
"Victimology Outreach in Gang Homicide Cases"
"Gang and Organized Crime Activity on the Dark Web: Advanced Internet Investigation"
"Developing Ways to Treat PTSD For Staff Exposed to Gang Violence"
"Examples of Gang Crime Investigation/Prosecution of Hybrid Gangs"
"Open Source Gang Investigation"
"Review of the Money Laundering Apps Used by Gangs and OC: CashApp, Venmo, Paypal, Zelle, World Remit, OFX, TransferWise, Xe, CurrenciesDirect, HiFX, Remtly"
"How To 'Gang Proof' the School Zones in Your Jurisdiction".
"History of Explosive Device Incidents With Threat Groups: Extremist/Hate Groups, Street Gangs, Motorcycle Gangs, Cartels, and Organized Crime"
“How to Achieve Better Community Relations and Still Achieve Effective Gang Enforcement”.
"Starting a Gang Victim Support Group in Your Community"
"How to Achieve Pure Primary Gang Prevention in the School".
"Achieving Gang Prevention for Tomorrow by Targetting Gang Leadership Today".
"Zero to Low Cost Gang Prevention and Intervention Program Services You Can Offer in Your Jurisdiction".
“How to Start a Gang Court in Your County”.
"Innovative Techniques for Interviewing Gang Members and Gang Associates".
"What We Really Need for Gang Prevention Laws in the Next Decade"
"The Use of the Polygraph in Gang Interviews/Debriefings".
"What We Really Need for Gang Investigation Skills in the Next Decade"
"How to Start a New Gang Dissociation Program in Your Correctional Facility".
"How the Federal Procurement Process Works for Getting Federal Grants and Funding for Your Gang Prevention/Intervention Program: NIJ, OJJDP and Others"
"New Technology to Fight the War Against Gang Violence".
"Developing Legislation to Require the Use of Small Arms Ballistic Projectile Trace Taggants to Aid the Investigation of Gun Violence in the USA".
"Dealing With Gangs on the Reservation"
"Gang Involvement in Credit Card Fraud"
"Gang Involvement in Identity Theft"
"An Analysis of Native American Gangs" .
"Best Practices for Counseling Gang Crime Victims"
“The Anatomy of a Gang Prosecution: From Crime Scene to Final Appeals and Parole Hearings”
"Advanced Gang Identification About Crips"
"Advanced Gang Identification for Blood Gangs".
"Recent Developments in Hate Groups/White Racist Extremist Gangs".
"How to Investigate Social Media Usage by Gang Members"
"New Laws that We Really Need for Gang Prosecution in the Next Decade"
"How to Monitor the Internet Sites Related to Your Community That May Have Gang Shout Outs and Gang-Related Activity (Recruiting, Gang Message Boards, etc)"
"New Policies/Procedures We Need in Corrections to Deal More Effectively With Gangs/STG in the Next 10 years".
"Things that Work and Don't Work in Dealing With Gang Members in Juvenile Correctional Facilities"
"How to Effectively Use Anonymous Cash Rewards for Solving Cold Case Gang-Related Crimes".
"New Policies/Procedures We Need in K-12 Public Schools to Deal More Effectively With Gangs in the Next 10 Years".
"How to Start a New Faith-Based Gang Prevention/Intervention in Your City".
"How to Increase Respect for the Law Among At-Risk Youths and Gang Members"
"How to Implement a Gang Victim Assistance Program"
"Building Trust in Our Communities: Overcoming the Stop Snitching Gang Distrust Problem"
"How to Increase Ethnic, Racial and Cross-Cultural Tolerance Within a Gang or At-Risk Population"
"Gangs and Organized Crime Involvement in the Sale of Body Parts"
"Gang Involvement in Human Trafficking"
"The Use of Drone Technology in Gang Investigation"
"Factors in Mitigation: The Role of the Mitigation Consultant in Gang Criminal Cases".
"The Gangs in South Africa"
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What's New: Get Your Free Ticket to a Cubs Baseball Game.
This IS A BASEBALL SOCIAL NETWORKING EVENT . These tickets are available free to those registered for Certification or Non-Certification, one per person on a first come, first served basis. One ticket per person. Only one baseball networking event ticket per person. See more information below. Yes, we still have some remaining tickets to give away. The Cubs are playing against the L.A. Dodgers on Monday August 3rd and Tuesday August 4th. So pick ONE of these game attendance options. See more information below.
- - -
Cubs Tickets:
When you register for the NGCRC 2026 conference, you can sign up for a baseball social networking event that involved a Cubs game for either Monday August 3, 2026 or Tuesday, August 4, 2026. This option to attend a free Cubs baseball event is one of the questions you complete on your conference registration form.
The Chicago Cubs will be playing the Los Angeles Dodgers. You will be seated in an area with nothing but other gang specialists from the NGCRC.
Your ticket is a digital ticket, not a printed paper ticket. Your ticket is sent to you not from the NGCRC, but is rather sent to you directly from the organization that is authorized to disperse Cubs tickets - - - the MLB. The MLB sends you an email to the email address you gave us.
A common problem people encounter is this: your agency browser or email handling system may have flagged the MLB as “spam” and you did not even see it perhaps. That is one problem. It is a problem that we need to resolve though. With your authorization we can cancel that ticket and re-send it to an email address of your preference.
We will announce here at the official conference website (https://ngcrc.com/conference.html) when the ticket distribution process begins and when it is in effect. Sometime in the Spring of 2026 is our best guess from doing this previously.
Once the ticket invites have been sent out from MLB, we are asking you to go check your email for any messages or emails from MLB. Remember the email we use is the email address that you put on your registration form or that was put on the registration form for you. Whoever is getting the email, you or they need to act upon that email to get your ticket. The ticket is an electronic ticket to the Cubs game. There are no longer any “paper” tickets in use at major league baseball (MLB) parks like that of the famous Wrigley Field, home of the popular Chicago Cubs.
If you want to use a different email, you need to communicate that to the NGCRC. Help us to help you get your Cubs ticket before the time expires and the ticket is gone. If you cannot find any email from the MLB in your email or spam file folders, and if you want us to “re-send” the same ticket assigned to you, you need to contact us at once with that request.
How to best contact us: by email - - - gangcrime@aol.com
Call if you want: (708) 258-9111
If you left your question about the Cubs social networking event blank, it is assumed to be a “no”. If you checked no or left it blank and subsequently want to change your mind, no problem, use the “ticket form” provided below.
- - - -
Ticket Form:
My name is (Print neatly):__________________________________________________
I am registered for the NGCRC Conference.
I am picking my Cubs Social Networking Event date here (pick one):
___Monday August 3, 2026 ___Tuesday, August 4, 2026
My email address to send the ticket invite to is:_______________________________________
You can Return this form by U.S. Postal Service to: NGCRC,
PO Box 990
Peotone, IL 60468-0990
You can fax this form to: 708 258-9546
You can email this form to: gangcrime@aol.com
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The 2026 NGCRC 29th International Gang Specialist
Training Conference (Aug. 3 - August 5, 2026):
A Look at the Presenters
Last Updated: Sept. 16, 2025
Sally-Ann Ashton, Ph.D.
Sally-Ann Ashton is a Psychologist and Research Scientist at the Texas Juvenile Crime Prevention Center at Prairie View A&M University. She has an Mphil in Criminological Research (University of Cambridge, England) and an M.S.c. in Investigative Psychology (University of Huddersfield, England). Her Ph.D. investigated the psychological and social risk factors associated with gang membership, group offending and desistance from crime. She was a recipient of a Frederick Milton Thrasher Award in 2017 for superior accomplishments in gang research and in 2020 for superior accomplishments in gang training.
Andy Bain, Ph.D.
Andy Bain is an assistant professor of Criminal Justice Studies at Westminster College, PA. He holds a Ph.D. in Offender Behavior, a Msc. Criminal Justice and a Graduate Diploma in Psychology. Andy has authored, and edited numerous books, chapters, and articles, on the outlaw motorcycle gangs; law enforcement and technology; and, professional risk working with mental health, social care, and criminal justice, publishing with a number of leading international academic and professional journals. His professional background includes four years with the National Probation Service (England & Wales) and six years running a successful Criminal Justice Consultancy Group, providing guidance and advice to law enforcement agencies and correctional bodies. This, in turn led to the publication of a number of local and national policing and corrections reports.
Detective Tyler Dailey
Detective Tyler Dailey has been a deputy with the Harford County Sheriff’s Office since 2017, and he is currently assigned to the Harford County Drug Task Force, where he primarily investigates drug, gun, and gang cases throughout the county. Detective Dailey has been the lead detective on multiple fatal overdose investigations, and he assisted Senior Contact Attorney Stuart Welch in securing the first ever conviction in Harford County of a drug dealer for Manslaughter for dealing the drugs that caused a fatal overdose.
Kenneth Davis
Kenneth Davis retired from the Yonkers Police Department in July of 2017. From 1985-1990 he was assigned to uniformed patrol (task force and public housing) and plainclothes (street-level and undercover narcotics). From 1990-2000 he worked street gangs, graffiti crimes and police academy. From 2000-2009 he was assigned to several middle/high schools as a school resource officer. In 2009 - 2017, as a detective, he continued investigating street gangs, narcotics (search warrants) and graffiti crimes. As the departments liaison, he assisted the YMCA’s Cure Violence/SNUG Program and the Westchester County Department of Corrections Re-entry Program. From 2017-present, he is a NYS private investigator and a graffiti/gang specialist presenting at various regional, national, and international conferences.
Dr. Gregg W. Etter Sr., Ed.D.
Dr. Gregg W. Etter Sr., Ed.D. is a Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Central Missouri. He retired as a Lieutenant with the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office after serving from 1977 to 2006. He is rated as a gang expert by the National Gang Crime Research Center. He has written extensively and presented classes on gangs, white supremacist groups and police management topics in the United States and Canada. Dr. Etter earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Wichita State University and his Doctorate degree from Oklahoma State University. Dr. Etter is the author of numerous books, book chapters, edited and refereed articles. His latest book is: Gangs and Organized Crime which he authored with Dr. George W. Knox and Dr. Carter F. Smith.
George W. Knox, Ph.D.
George Knox earned his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago. He has extensive field experience with gangs, including interviewing gang members, gang leaders, and gang victims. He has taught in the field of criminal justice and sociology. He serves as the Executive Director of the National Gang Crime Research Center. He was the author of the first full textbook on gangs (An Introduction to Gangs) and other books and monographs on gang topics. His research interests include how to deal with gang problems in probation/parole, juvenile corrections, adult corrections, and gang threat analysis — examining the gang as a unit of social organization.
Troy R. Rogers
Troy R. Rogers is a nationally respected public safety architect, community strategist, and founder of BrightWay Group and The Reentry Playbook. With over 30 years in violence prevention, reentry, and trauma-informed mentoring, he has transformed high-risk communities through relational and restorative strategies. A Public Safety Coordinator for Chattanooga, Troy is the author of The Unseen Work: The Ministry of Public Safety, Dreams Are Unlocked by Reading, and The 10 Commandments of Mentoring. His work challenges systems, inspires leaders, and restores dignity to the most overlooked — proving that healing and hope are always possible.
Dr. Charles Russo
Dr. Charles Russo is a leading expert in the application of critical thinking to public safety, intelligence, and national security challenges. He has dedicated his career to developing and implementing training programs that enhance the analytical and decision-making capabilities of professionals in high-stakes environments. Dr. Russo has advised numerous law enforcement and government agencies on improving their intelligence processes and investigative methodologies. His research focuses on cognitive bias mitigation, structured analytical techniques, and the development of strategic foresight in complex security situations. He holds a Ph.D. and is a respected author and speaker, known for translating complex theories into practical, actionable strategies for front-line operators and strategic leaders alike.
Dr. Martha Wall-Whitfield
Dr. Martha Wall-Whitfield is an educator from Little Rock, Arkansas where she is currently the Founder and Principal of Legacy Christian Academy, a private Christian school for at-risk youth and kids from trauma. She was formerly the District Principal for all juvenile correctional facilities in the state of Arkansas and also served as Principal at the state’s largest juvenile facility for incarcerated youth for seven years. She has taught for over 16 years at the University level as an Assistant Professor for Averett University and as an Adjunct for Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Arkansas Little Rock, and Arkansas State University. Dr. Whitfield is a mom of five and a Mimi to five. She is active in both her church and the community as a foster and adoptive parent and foster parent trainer for the state.
Dr. John Z. Wang
Dr. John Z. Wang is a world renowned criminological expert on Asian gangs. He is a full professor of criminal justice and forensic studies in the School of Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Emergency Management at California State University - Long Beach. He joined the first Asian Gang Survey Project in 1991 for his doctoral dissertation and has been providing training seminars at previous NGCRC conferences. He served as an adjunct instructor at Houston Police Academy from 1995 to 1999 and has been serving an adjunct instructor for California Law Enforcement Command College (CA POST Certified) since 2009. Also, he is a fellow of American Academy of Forensic Sciences since 2018. His expertise includes Asian gangs, Asian transnational organized crimes, high tech crimes, and forensic examinations of gang crimes related evidence with many publications.
Stuart Welch, J.D.
Stuart Welch is the Senior Contact Attorney for the Felony Drug and Gun Unit at the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office. Stuart is assigned to the Harford County Drug Task Force, which primarily investigates complex drug, gun, and gang cases throughout Harford County, Maryland. Stuart has prosecuted over 200 felony drug and/or gun cases, and he specializes in prosecuting drug dealers for dealing drugs that cause the fatal overdose of a victim. He secured the first ever conviction in Harford County of a drug dealer for Manslaughter for dealing the drugs that caused a fatal overdose. This is especially difficult in a state that has no drug-induced homicide laws. Stuart also serves as a member of the Overdose Fatality Review Board, where he studies fatal overdoses in Harford County in order to learn how to better prevent them going forward.
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HOW DO YOU USE THE CRISS-CROSS STUDY GUIDE?
This was designed to be a study aide. It saves you the step of actually reading all the session descriptions. If you read the session descriptions (https://ngcrc.com/courses.html), you will see each course being taught at the NGCRC Gang Training Conference (August 4 - Aug. 6, 2025) has consistent data elements such as: title, duration, session credits, abstract, bio. And in that order.
We recommend reading each and every course offering and having the registered trainee make the decision “do I want to attend this session?”. Because in reading all of the courses or sessions you will read the abstracts and the bios. We certainly recommend that if you want to increase your professional networking contacts, that you closely study also the bios also listed at the website: copy this url to your browser: https://ngcrc.com/presenters.html
You do not have enough time in three days to attend over 100 courses, so you need to make decisions.
The first decision you need to make if you are registered for Certification is what courses you want to take in your track area. In the file describing the courses at the website (copy this url to your browser: https://ngcrc.com/courses.html), you will find a data element called “Session Credits”, this is where you find out if the course gives credit for your track. If your track is listed under the session credits for a particular course or session, then that course or session gives credit for your track. You need to accumulate a minimum of N = 4 hours in your track specialty area. That is not hard to do. You have to pick and choose what you want to attend.
So if you did not want to study the courses, just use the “Criss-Cross Study Guide”. Look up your track on the Criss-Cross Study Guide, and it will reveal what session numbers give credit for your track, and the number of hours that specific course provides.
Here is an example: assume you signed up for Gang Crime Investigation Skills as your track. You will see all kinds of sessions listed for that track on the Criss-Cross Study Guide, starting from Session #1 which is two (2) hours in length, and goes on and on, there are nearly fifty courses that give session credits for this track. So when you see the digits “1 (2)”, and that these data elements are always separated by a semicolon “;”, so that means Session #1 in the course listings gives two (2) hours of credit for this track. Similarly, Session #2 gives 1.5 hours of credit for this course. And session #3 provides two (2) hours of credit for this track. So if you just completed the first three listings you would have completed your minimum requirement of accumulating at least four (4) hours in your track area. All of the courses are listed sequentially by session number in ascending order, from #1 to beyond #100, in the “courses” section we recommend you study at the website.
Once you get to the conference, you will find a book in your goody bag that is like a printed version of the “COURSES” listing at the NGCRC website. It is the grey book: specifically identified as Volume 32, Number 3, Spring 2025 issue of the Journal of Gang Research. It has the full course descriptions in print, those we knew about prior to going to press in the Spring, of course; newly added courses would not be printed in the Vol. 32, No. 3 issue, you would need to check at the website for updates.
The training program requires you accumulate a total of 24 hours of training. Within that 24 hours of training, 4 of them need to be in your track area. You can spend the other 20 hours as electives: concentrating in your track area, or any other area you are eligible to enroll in (only criminal justice personnel can enroll in the Motorcycle Gang track). If you are a Double Major, you need four hours in each of the two tracks, leaving 16 hours of “electives”: you can spend those 16 hours in any of the courses you are eligible to attend (note that a small number of the courses restrict attendance to police officers).
You do not need any of this information if you are registered for Non-Certification. This information is useful only if you are registered for Certification.
Example of use of the criss-cross study guide, this is what track #1 looks like in the criss-cross study guide:
(1) Gang Crime Investigation Skills Track (T74): 1 (2); 2 (1); 3 (2); 4 (2); 5 (3); 8 (1); 9 (2); 10 (1); 12 (1); 13 (4); 15 (1); 19 (2); 20 (2); 21 (2); 22 (1); 24 (2); 26 (1.5); 27 (1); 28 (2); 31 (1); 32 (1); 33 (1); 34 (2); 36 (1); 37 (2); 39 (4); 41 (2); 43 (2); 49 (1); 53 (2); 54 (1); 55 (1); 56 (2); 59 (1); 61 (1); 63 (2); 64 (3); 65 (1); 66 (1); 71 (2); 74 (2); 75 (1); 77 (1); 79 (2); 80 (1.5);
The “T-Code” means the total hours available in that track to select from. You only need a minimum of four hours in your track. You can spend the remaining hours in anything you want to. The “(T74)” code at the end of the track listing means the total number of training hours available for this training track. You need to complete 24 hours of training if you are registered for certification, four hours of which need to be in your selected track specialty area.
The T-code of “(T74)” means there are 74 hours to pick from among all the sessions that give credit for this track.
The sequence of numbers after the track name are different session numbers that give credit for this track, and the number in parentheses means the number of hours in duration for that particular session. For example “1 (2)” in the example shows that session number 1 gives credit for this track and that it is a two hour session.
The Criss-Cross Study Guide:
The Listing of Sessions that give credit for specific training tracks.
This classifies sessions #1 thru #?? by Track (training
sessions/courses that give credit for that track).
Last updated: Aug. 10, 2025
THIS IS "TBA": Too Early to List Here
(1) Gang Crime Investigation Skills Track :
(2) Dealing With Gang Members in Probation/Parole Track
(3) Gang Homicide Investigation Skills Track
(4) Gangs and Drugs Track
(5) Gang Problems in K-12 Schools Track
(6) Gangs and Organized Crime Track
(7) Gangs and Mental Health Track
(8) Gang Interview/Interrogation Skills Track
(9) Gang Internet Investigation Track
(10) Management Skills for Gang Outreach, Prevention, and Intervention Services Track
(11) Gang Outreach and Intervention Skills Track
(12) Management and Supervision Skills for Gang Specialists Track
(13) Corrections Gang/STG Intelligence Track
(14) Domestic Counter-Terrorism Skills
(15) Motorcycle Gangs (restricted: for Criminal Justice Personnel only) Track
(16) Dealing With Gangs in Juvenile Correctional Facilities Track
(17) Gang and Violence Prevention Skills for School Administrators Track
(18) Gang Counseling Skills Track
(19) Advanced Gang Identification Track
(20) Gang Profile Analysis Track
(21) Gang Prosecution Track
(22) Gang Prevention Skills Track
(23) International and Transnational Gang Problems Track
(24) Hate Groups/Extremist Gangs Track
(25) Officer Safety Skills in Dealing With Gangs Track
(26) Asian Gangs and High Tech Gang Crimes Track
(27) Gangs and the Mass Media Track
(28) Graffiti Identification and Analysis Track
(29) Faith-Based Programs for Gang Intervention Track
(30)
Gang Victim, Witness, and Survivor Service Track
Q & A about the “Study Guide”
Q: Do the digital video versions of sessions count towards the accumulation of my hours needed to collect certification?
A: Yes, the session numbers are indicated at the VIDEOPAGE so make sure you count them and rate them on your evaluation form. The link to the VIDEOPAGE is: https://ngcrc.com/videopage.html
Q: Are the courses listed at the VIDEOPAGE on the “schedule of events”?
A: No, you can access the videopage courses or sessions anytime you want prior to the conference. The VIDEOPAGE lists the digital training content. The schedule of events lists only live action face-to-face classroom based courses. All of the digital courses count if they are listed as a session in the 2026 curriculum. If the digital course is listed at the VIDEOPAGE but is not listed in the curriculum as an approved session, then it is a video that cannot be viewed.
Q: Is it a good idea to print off this “study guide” and use it for making my preliminary selections of what courses to attend?
A: Yes.
Q: Could I spend my entire 24 hours of training picking only courses that offer credit for Gang Crime Investigation Skills?
A: Yes, as seen in this Study Guide, at the 2026 Conference the curriculum is so large in terms of session material on the schedule to pick from, that a person could easily spend their entire 24 hours by attending only sessions that offer credit in Gang Crime Investigation Skills. But if you selected the training track for Gang Crime Investigation Skills, your 2nd certificate still only recognizes the minimum requirement that you spent at least four hours in your training track area.
Q: Could I spend my entire 24 hours of training picking only courses in any other tracks that are loaded like that found in Gang Crime Investigation Skills?
A: Yes, some tracks have more than 24 hours to pick from. If you add up the hours of credit, you can see from above, that these tracks offer more than 24 hours to pick from: Gangs and Mental Health; Management and Supervision Skills for Gang Specialists; Corrections Gang/STG Intelligence; Dealing With Gangs in Juvenile Correctional Facilities; Gang Prevention Skills; and Gang Profile Analysis.
Q: We have a somewhat new gang problem, its serious, so we are sending an officer to learn everything you offer about Gang Crime Investigation Skills, is there any advice you have?
A: Yes, you can see from the Criss Cross Study Guide for the 2025 NGCRC gang training conference that one officer could not possibly attend and benefit from all of the training sessions, as they have 24 hours to spend during the 3 day conference. You would need to send at least three (3) officers to be able to attend all of the training sessions, as there are 74 hours of training available in that training track - - - too much for one person to attend.
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The Preliminary Schedule of Session Day, Time, and Room Locations for the 2026 NGCRC 29th International Gang Specialist Training Conference (August 3 - August 5, 2026):
Version 1.0
Includes all schedule information for all courses.
LEGEND of Symbols: “Ts” = Tracks = the session credits = the training tracks that particular session gives credit for attending (the training track number is provided after the “Ts” symbol appears). Room location names are in all caps.
Schedule Entry Example: Sunday 5:00pm - 7:00pm: (89) “Within a Decade (1990-2000): An Overview of the Community Affairs Division’s Efforts in Reducing Illegal Activities Associated with Prolific Graffiti Writers, Graffiti Crews, and Street Gangs”, by Retired Detective Ken Davis, Yonkers Police Department, Yonkers, NY. MILLENIUM PARK. Ts: 1; 4; 7; 9; 19; 20; 27; 28.
Translation of the Who, What, When, Where, and Why:
The course is session #89 (if it were 89R = #89 is one of the few that is repeating later in the schedule), it is being taught on Sunday from 5:00pm - 7:00pm (when), it is session #89 (what), session title is “Within a Decade (1990-2000): An Overview of the Community Affairs Division’s Efforts in Reducing Illegal Activities Associated with Prolific Graffiti Writers, Graffiti Crews, and Street Gangs”and who here is Ken Davis. Where here is the Millenium Park room. This session gives credit for tracks 1; 4; 7; 9; 19; 20; 27; 28 (why you want to take it)
There are 30 different tracks.
You need to know your track name and your track number. The “criss-cross” studyguide appears on page six and is located at https://ngcrc.crisscross.html
You can see the listing of tracks also at the main conference website: https://ngcrc.com/conference.html
You can also see the list of tracks on any registration form such as:
https://ngcrc.com/register.html
This is the schedule of events for the 2026 NGCRC Gang Training Conference. It can also be called an itinerary.
Last updated: Aug. 15, 2025
Includes course or session numbers #1 through and including #??
Sunday, August 2, 2026:
12:00pm Noon Exactly: NGCRC staff and volunteers assemble in the Operations Center (GARFIELD PARK ROOM), on the third floor, to unload the truck and prepare the Goody Bags.
3pm-8pm: Registration - pick up your ID, your registration file folder, and your goody bag at the Operations Center (GARFIELD PARK ROOM), on the third floor.
Sunday afternoon “early bird” Sessions:
3:00pm - 5:00pm:
(102) “Modern Gang Problems in Schools: Assessing Threats and Strengthening Prevention”, by Dr. Martha Whitfield, Principal, Arkansas Juvenile Assessment and Treatment Center, Bryant, AR. MILLENIUM PARK. Ts: 5; 7; 17; 22; 27.
5:00pm - 7:00pm:
(43) “Within a Decade (1990-2000): An Overview of the Community Affairs Division’s Efforts in Reducing Illegal Activities Associated with Prolific Graffiti Writers, Graffiti Crews, and Street Gangs”, by Retired Detective Ken Davis, Yonkers Police Department, Yonkers, NY. MILLENIUM PARK. Ts: 1; 4; 7; 9; 19; 20; 27; 28.
Monday, August 3, 2026:
6:00am:
Registration - pick up your ID, your registration file folder, and your goody bag at the Operations Center (GARFIELD PARK ROOM), on the third floor.
7:00am - 7:45am
Opening Ceremony: CHICAGO BALLROOM. Welcoming and Opening Ceremony; Awards Ceremony; General Announcements. You need to use the West Bank of elevators to get to the Chicago Ballroom on the 16th floor.
8:00am - 9:00am:
8:00am - 10:00am:
8:00am - 11:00am:
9:00am - 10:00am:
10:00am - 11:00am:
10:00am - 12:00pm:
11:00am - 12:00pm:
12:00pm - 1:00pm:
(51) “The Probation Officers/Court Staff Reception” by Dr. Andy Bain, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Criminal Justice & Sociology, Westminster College, New Wilmington, PA; and Irene C. Paredes, Lake County Superior Court - Juvenile Division, Crown Point, IN. Note: requires ticket to attend because of the door prizes/amenities. MILLENIUM PARK. Ts: 2.
5:00pm - 6:00pm:
(52) “Gang Prevention - Intervention - Counseling Networking Reception”. by Martha Wall-Whitfield, Ph.D., Principal, Arkansas Juvenile Assessment and Treatment Center, Bryant, AR and NGCRC Staff. MILLENIUM PARK. Ts: 5; 7; 12; 18; 22.
7:00pm - 9:00pm:
(53) "NGCRC Social Mixer for All Attendees", By NGCRC Staff, cash bar, DJ, etc, Chicago Ballroom, 16th Floor
Tuesday,
August 4, 2026:
6:00am - 8:00am Early Riser Sessions:
7:00am - 8:00am Early Riser Session:
8:00am - 9:00am:
8:00am - 10:00am:
8:00am - 11:00am:
8:00am - 12:00pm:
9:00am - 10:00am:
10:00am - 11:00am:
12:00pm - 1:00pm:
(38) “The Christian Gang Specialist Reception”, by Dr. Martha Wall-Whitfield, Ph.D., NGCRC Staff; and George Knox, NGCRC Staff. GRANT PARK. Ts: 10; 11; 18; 22; 29.
5:00pm - 6:00pm:
(54) “The Law Enforcement, Prosecution, and Corrections Networking Reception”, by Kenneth Davis and Gregg W. Etter Sr., NGCRC Staff. MILLENIUM PARK. Ts:1; 2; 13; 16; 21.
8:00 pm - 8:15pm:
The NGCRC’s National Night Out (NNO) Event, by NGCRC Staff (all are welcome), directly across the street from the Westin hotel. Join us to do our part to help increase respect for the law and civility.
Wednesday, August 5, 2026:
6:00am - 8:00am Early Riser Sessions:
7:00am - 8:00am:
8:00am - 9:00am:
8:00am - 10:00am:
8:00am - 12:00pm:
9:00am - 10:00am:
9:00am - 10:30am:
9:00am - 11:00am:
10:00am - 12:00pm:
11:00am - 12:00pm:
1:00pm - 2:00pm:
2:00pm - 3:00pm:
2:00pm - 3:30pm:
2:00pm - 4:00pm:
3:00pm - 4:00pm:
4:00pm - 5:00pm:
5:00pm: ALL TRAINING IS OVER WITH. TRAINING ROOMS NOW BEING EVACUATED.
5:00pm-6:00pm:
PROCEED DIRECTLY TO THE NGCRC OPERATIONS CENTER TO SUBMIT YOUR EVALUATION FORM TO THE NGCRC STAFF.
PICK UP YOUR CERTIFICATES IN THE OPERATIONS CENTER NOTE: HAVE YOUR EVALUATION FORM READY TO BE EXAMINED (hours counted) BY OPERATIONS CENTER SUPERVISORS (Maria & Irene) TO SEE IF YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE MINIMUM HOURS REQUIRED (24 overall, at least 4 of which are in your Training Track).
After 6:00pm: NGCRC staff have gone. Your Evaluation Form is still important. If you forgot, can you please mail or fax your Evaluation Form to the NGCRC ASAP?
WE WISH YOU SAFE TRAVEL ON YOUR RETURN HOME. WE HOPE WE SEE YOU NEXT YEAR.
# # #
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Statistical Evaluation Results from the
2025 NGCRC Training Conference:
INTRODUCTION
The 2025 Twenty Eight NGCRC Gang Specialist Training Conference was held during August 4 thru August 6, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois at the Westin Michigan Avenue Hotel, 909 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. The statistical evaluation results are reported here from the large number of persons attending the conference who provided such evaluation surveys. What this documents is an amazing level of “success” as measured in terms of the satisfaction of those who attended.
The bottom line finding here is that the NGCRC offers training that is consistently rated over time as exceptional in value and quality.
THE NGCRC ATTRACTS THOSE WITH AND WITHOUT PRIOR TRAINING ON GANGS
One statistical result from the evaluation forms completed by those attending the 2025 NGCRC training conference reveals the NGCRC attracts those with and without prior training in gangs. In the 2025 cohort some 60.4 percent indicated that they had not previously received any training about gangs. Thus, some 39.6 percent of those attending the NGCRC training conference indicated that they had in fact been previously trained on gangs.
So a little over half of the attendees in 2025 had no prior training on gangs.
Also, about two-thirds (66.8%) reported that this was the first time they have attended an NGCRC gang training conference.
FEW ARGUE WITH THE FACTS: THE NGCRC OFFERS MORE CHOICES THAN ANYONE ELSE
One very powerful statistical result from the evaluation forms completed by those attending the 2025 NGCRC conference relates to the number of choices a person does or does not have in terms of different options for classes to attend. In some training programs there is no choice at all, or few or very limited choices. Some 91.7 percent of those attending the NGCRC 2025 conference reported that “compared to other gang conferences I have attended, the NGCRC had more choices for sessions”.
OVERWHELMING MAJORITY REPORT “BEST GANG TRAINING EVER”
As a testament to the high quality of the training experience at the 2025 NGCRC training conference, another significant statistical result from the evaluation indicated an exceptionally high level of satisfaction with the training. Some 90.2 percent of those attending the conference reported that it was, “in my opinion, the best gang training event I have ever attended.” Such high levels of praise from people all over the USA and abroad are indeed hard to achieve.
ALMOST EVERYONE WANTS TO COME BACK NEXT YEAR
Another measure of the validity of high levels of satisfaction among those attending the NGCRC’’s 2025 conference is found in the results to the question measuring intention to “come back next year”.
The evaluation instrument included the following question: “I would like to attend the 2025 NGCRC 28th International Gang Specialist Training Conference that the National Gang Crime Research Center is currently planning. ___True ___False”.
Some 93.8 percent of those who attended the 2025 conference indicated that they want to attend the 2025 conference as well.
NEARLY THREE-FOURTHS WANT THE NGCRC TO RESERVE A SLOT FOR THEM IN 2026
One of the new organizational features introduced in 2025 was allowing attendees to reserve a slot for next year’s training conference. The evaluation also provided for whether or not, among those who want to come back in 2026, the NGCRC should “reserve me a slot for 2026". Some 73 percent wanted the NGCRC to reserve a slot for them in 2026.
ACHIEVING NETWORKING: A GUARANTEED RESULT AT THE NGCRC CONFERENCE
Three separate evaluation questions addressed the issue of “networking” because this is always an important “added benefit” of any training, and it becomes particularly valuable as a resource when dealing with gang problems.
The first question asked, “Did you meet any new gang specialists that you may be able to network with in the future while you were at this conference”. The results of the evaluation question about whether the participants at the 2025 NGCRC training conference were able to achieve networking showed an astounding 94.1 percent reported that they were able to achieve such networking while at the conference.
The second question sought to establish a baseline for how important the factor of “networking” was to those attending the 2025 NGCRC conference. The second question therefore asked the participants “Was the opportunity to network with other gang specialists something that you wanted to achieve while at this conference?” Here we find that 97 percent indicated that networking was an important goal for them at the conference. Based on this, it is safe to say that a very high level of success was achieved regarding the goal of networking at the 2025 NGCRC Training Conference.
A number of specialized “networking receptions” were available to anyone who wanted to participate in these events during after hours. These are well planned and well managed events designed to enhance networking among professionals. Thus, a third and final question about networking in the evaluation survey asked, “Did you attend any of the special networking receptions?” Here we find that about two-thirds, some 65.7 percent, attended one or more of these specialized reception events. There were five (5) different social networking receptions available free to attendees at the 2025 NGCRC training conference.
VERY HIGH LEVELS OF SATISFACTION WITH THE QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF TAKE HOME TRAINING MATERIALS
The rating system used by the NGCRC to evaluate the performance of the trainers and presenters, as well as its own operations, utilizes a “scale” of values from an absolute low value of “zero” to indicate the low extreme of “not satisfied” to an absolute high value of ten (10) to indicate the high extreme of “very satisfied”. Thus, the “score” in such cases is easy to interpret: the higher the score, the higher the level of satisfaction.
The “mean score” is what is used to calculate an overall score for performance. The mean is the arithmetic mean, a measure of central tendency in the data, and it is calculated by means of an SPSS analysis. SPSS is a statistical software package widely used in the social sciences and criminology.
The evaluation form included the following question measuring the quality of materials: “How satisfied were you with the quality of the take home training materials provided to you?”. Each participant is provided with a “take home goody bag” that contains various printed training materials for future use. The results indicated a mean score of 8.11 on a zero to 10 point scale.
A second question asked, “How satisfied were you with the quantity of take home training materials provided to you?” And here again a very high score emerges, a mean value of 8.14 was found for this factor.
MANY WON SOMETHING IN ONE OF THE RAFFLES
There are various raffles at the NGCRC conference, some occur at the networking receptions and some are scheduled through the Operations Center.
The evaluation form asked the conference participants, “Did you win anything in any of the raffles?” The results indicated that almost half of those who attended, or 62.1 percent of those attending the conference, reported winning something in one of the raffles.
JUST OVER HALF ATTENDED AN EVENING CHICAGO CUBS BASEBALL GAME
The exit survey question in the evaluation form ask the attendees “did you attend any of the Cubs Baseball Social Networking Events”? There were two such events, one for Monday, and one for Tuesday. The results from the Evaluation Form data analysis show that 57.9 percent indicated participating in this popular event.
HIGH LEVELS OF SATISFACTION WITH NGCRC STAFF
The evaluation form included the question “How satisfied were you with the staff and volunteers of the National Gang Crime Research Center in terms of making your experience at the training conference a quality time?”. The results indicated a mean score of 8.78 on a scale between zero and ten, again a very high level of satisfaction with the NGCRC staff. The staff provide a number of useful functions to the conference participants, from security to equipment technician support. Scoring near or above a score of 9.04 on a zero to 10 scale is an “A” in anyone’s book.
HOURS OF TRAINING COMPLETED ON-SITE AT THE HOTEL LOCATION
The evaluation form asked “how many hours of training did you complete on-site during 8-4 / 8-6 of 2025?”. The results showed a range in values from as low as eight to a high of 35 hours. This is advertised as a 24 hour training program for the 8 to 5 classroom training. But there is also field training, early bird wake up sessions, lunch sessions, evening sessions, tours, and events. If you were to attend it all, it would be easily 34 or higher. The mean score for hours completed on-site location was 22.63 hours.
MOST STAYED AT THE OFFICIAL CONFERENCE HOTEL
The evaluation form also included the question “Did you stay at the Westin Michigan Avenue Hotel”? The results show that most (72.6%) did in fact stay at the Westin. And they gave it high satisfaction rating (8.86 mean score on a zero to ten rating system).
As an additional fact, the NGCRC is considered a family friendly event, so the evaluation results indicated that 12.8 percent of the attendees did report bringing other family members with to Chicago.
WHAT CITY IN AMERICA HAS THE WORST GANG PROBLEM?
This was an open-ended item on the 2025 NGCRC Evaluation Form completed by N = 143 respondents. Many just left the question blank or made comments such as “everyone has a gang problem”, or “I don’t know”, “I am from Canada”, etc. It is a belief or perception type of variable that allows us to compare the results with findings in previous years.
The results are reported in Table 1 below.
Table 1: What City in America Has the Worst Gang Problem?
City %
Chicago 47.9%
Los Angeles 28.6
Memphis 6.2
New York 3.8
Detroit 3.4
Atlanta 2.0
Columbus (GA) 1.3
Albany (GA) 0.6
Baltimore 0.6
Cleveland 0.6
Denver 0.6
Houston 0.6
Kansas City (MO) 0.6
Miami 0.6
Newark 0.6
New Orleans 0.6
South Bend 0.6
St. Louis 0.6
Waco 0.6
Watts 0.6
As seen in Table 1, Chicago again wins this record for having the worst gang problem in America (47.9%), compared to 28.6 percent for Los Angeles, and a remarkable low perception of only 3.8 percent for New York City. Memphis moves up to position number three on the “worst gang city” chart with 6.2 percent of the gang specialist respondents indicating that Memphis now has the worst gang problem in America.
CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS GAVE “HIGH GRADES” TO THE NGCRC AS AN OVERALL EVALUATION RESULT
Finally, another question on the evaluation form asked the 2025 NGCRC conference participants to “Give us your grade for how we did overall in trying to make this conference experience a good one for you. For a final grade, I give this conference an ___A ___B ___C ___D ___F.”
The results indicated that most gave the NGCRC an “A”. About a third gave the NGCRC a grade of “B”. Thus, over three-fourths of the trainees rated the NGCRC training experience as an “A” or “B”, the highest possible grades. Again, from a different way of measuring the same thing (overall training experience), we find additional strong evidence of a high level of satisfaction among persons who attended the conference. A GPA of 3.57 (where 4=A, 3=B, 2=C,1=D,0=F) was the mean score from this analysis. Thus, conference attendees gave the NGCRC an overall grade of “A minus/B Plus” it would appear from the 2025 evaluation results: again, a remarkable achievement.
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QUALITATIVE EVALUATION RESULTS FROM THE 2025 NGCRC GANG TRAINING CONFERENCE: Quotable Quotes From Those Who Attended
One of the questions on the 2025 NGCRC Conference Evaluation Form read “What is he best thing you can say about your experience at this training conference?”:
“Networking & content.”, Christopher Grimes, Special Agent, ATF, Oklahoma City, OK.
“It was truly informative and very eye opening and a plethora of knowledge disseminated throughout the entire conference.”, Terry Burnside, Founder, House of Hope Peoria, Inc, Peoria, IL.
“Classes are good.”, William Elliott, police officer, Mobile Police Department, Mobile, AL.
“The networking while learning.”, Albert Jones, Investigator, Muscogee County Sheriffs Office, Columbus, GA.
“The networking opportunities are great.”, Lucas Buckner, Deputy, Ingham County Sheriffs Office, Mason, MI.
“Knowledge of all the instructors.”, Andrew Finn, Major, St. Joseph County Police Department, South Bend, IN.
“The Presenters.”, Cody Allen Shepherd, Pathfinders, Danville, VA.
“The experience, networking and obtaining additional gang intel has been a rewarding experience. The staff has been extremely sweet/kind.”, Shannon D. Doyle, Detective, Jackson Police Department, Jackson, MS.
“I love everything about the conference for this being my first time.”, Ar Taurus Harvell, Detective, West Memphis Police Department, West Memphis, AR.
“Excellent networking.”, Christopher Lane, Prosecutor, Floyd County Prosecutors Office, New Albany, IN.
“This conference experience exceeded my expectations!”, Ryan Topping, Probation Officer Supervisor, Floyd County Probation, New Albany, IN.
“The amount of classes available is wonderful.”, Jacob Howell, Investigator, Richland County Sheriffs Department, Columbia, SC.
“How open and personal people were.”, William Powers, President, Crossing the Rubicon, Quincy, MA.
“I appreciated the multiple options for sessions at one time.”, Megan Starrett, Senior Assistant Prosecutor, Stark County Prosecutors Office, Canton, OH.
“Advancing my gang investigative career by obtaining the NGCRC certification.” ,
“Networking, new information, skills. I connected with law enforcement on a deeper level than I thought possible.”, David Moore, Special Agent, ATF, Oklahoma City, OK.
“Seeing all perspectives, from all sides; law enforcement, DA.’s direct service providers.”, Lorie Whitaker, Clinical Caseworker, Principles Inc, Pasadena, CA.
“Quality of presenters and variety of topics and sessions wee excellent. Networking opportunities were great.”, Elizabeth Stigdon, Chief Deputy Prosecutor, Floyd County Prosecutors Office, New Albany, IN.
“Classes and networking.”, Terrance Stone, CEO, Young Visionaries Youth Leadership Academy, San Bernardino, CA.
“I loved the diversity and how different regions were represented.”, DiJon Vaughn, Case Manager, POIC (Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center), Portland, OR.
“Really liked case studies and hearing feedback from presenters.”, Diondre Doaks, Detective, Seattle Police Department, Seattle, WA.
“I enjoyed the networking opportunities. The people, both attendees and trainers, were knowledgeable and welcoming. The conference was very well organized and easy to navigate.”, Brandon Maxwell, Clinical Director, Bashor Childrens Home, Goshen, IN.
“The instructors were very knowledgeable and the course instructions appeared well planned.”, Tyler Meldrum, Detective, Seattle Police Department, Seattle, WA.
“Expert presenters.”, Robert T. David Sr, Violence Prevention Manager, City of Danville, Danville, VA.
“Able to connect with people with different back-grounds in law enforcement like district attorneys and see their point of view. Example: Mock.”, Angel Martinez, Police Officer, Chicago Police Department, Chicago, IL.
“Great training to take back to my department.”,Gregory C. Hahn, Officer, Delaware County Sheriffs Department, Delaware, OH.
“Networking with different people the world.” ,Denzel Mays, Youth Intervention Aide, City of Rochester Pathways to Peace, Rochester, NY.
“Some of the best range of gang training. I like being able to choose what classes I take.”, Andrew Foy, Special Agent, GBI, Columbus, GA.
“The variety of classes you can choose from.”, Christine Agueros, Deputy, Ingham County Sheriffs Office, Mason, MI.
“Networking.”, Michael Hollandsworth, Trooper, Indiana State Police, Ft. Wayne, IN.
“I learned so much and meet so many incredible experts every year at this conference. I was extremely honored to be able to present my own class this year, and I will be able to present my own class this year, and I will continue to come back as many years as possible!”, Stuart Welch, Senior Contact Attorney, Harford County State’s Attorneys Office Bel Air, MD.
“It was very informative and interesting to hear how other municipalities work with their judicial systems and federal agencies for successful operations and prosecution.”, Anabel Preciado, Police Officer, Chicago Police Department, Chicago, IL.
“Some very interesting and engaging presentations.”, Lauren Selby, Detective, Seattle Police Department, Seattle, WA.
“There were plenty of options an d a lot of room so I was able to attend the trainings of interest to me.”, Keenan Staten, U.S. Probation Officer, U.S. Probation, Denver, CO.
“Attention staff provided.”,Claudio Silva, Corrections Officer Investigator, Suffolk County Sheriffs Office, Riverhead, NY.
“Networking.”, Gregg Etter, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, MO.
“All of the different Law enforcement experience under one roof.”, Sebastian Ezpara, Detective, Barrington Police Department, Barrington, IL.
“Very diverse group of people-it was interesting to see their approaches to similar problems.”, Oksana Bugayoy, Assistant District Attorney, Onondaga District Attorneys Office, Syracuse, NY.
“Loved a lot of information and loved the cubs game.”, Maritza Nunez DeVillavicencio, Crime Analyst, Broward County Sheriffs Office, Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
“Everything was great, I have no complaints.”, Crystall Hernandez, Community Liaison, City of Danville, Danville, VA.
“I very much enjoyed presenting and would be happy to do it again!”, Misty Wright, Executive Director of Community Safety, Louisville, KY.
“Rafles lots of options for sessions.”, Kelly Muller, U.S. Probation Officer, U.S. Probation Office, Denver, CO.
“Great conference.”, Chris Roberts, Youth and Gang Prevention Coordinator, Roanoke, VA.
“Learned valuable information to take back to my agency to hopefully implement.”, Elyce Redman, Detention Officer, Maricopa County Sheriffs Office, Phoenix, AZ.
“The amount of different classes that were available to take was awesome and allowed gang unit officers to focus in many areas that they could improve in.”, Justin Cikity, Officer, Mansfield Police Department, Mansfield, OH.
“The case studies showing the different good and bad of others investigations.”, Blake Bammann, Officer, Mansfield Police Department, Mansfield, OH.
“Great training.”, Dylan J. Stephenson, K9, Mansfield Police Department, Mansfield, OH.
“Hearing different experiences of people all over the country.”, Stephanie Littell, Crime Intelligence Analyst, Ohio BCI, London, OH.
“The experience of the presenters.”, Charles Ghilani, Detective, Berwyn Police Department, Berwyn, IL.
“Well organized.”, Nicholas Piraino, Detective, Berwyn Police Department, Berwyn, IL.
“I generally gained a lot of value and context to take back to my work. New ideas for data and reporting.”, Alex Glover, Cease Fire Program Manager, Portland, OR.
“Great speakers.”, Diego Noel Diaz, Detective, Berwyn Police Department, Berwyn, IL.
“Friendly and positive staff and people.”, Preston-Kurney Smith, Safety Worker, POIC, Portland, OR.
“Wealth of different areas of expertise.”, Chance Emlund, Berwyn Police Departmen, Berwyn, IL.
“Good mix of presenters and networking.”, Timothy Ponticelli Brown, Clinical Caseworker, Principles Inc, Pasadena, CA.
“So many diverse perspectives.”, Lisa Montagna, Principles Inc, Pasadena, CA.
“Networking.”, Rudy Martinez, Re-Entry Specialist, Principles Inc, Pasadena, CA.
“Networking and the conference location.”, Gregory “Scott” Morris, Invesigator, Richland County Sheriffs Department, Columbia, SC.
“The conference location, course offerings, and social events were fantastic.”, Hammad M. Khan, Assistant Attorney General, Kentucky Office of the Attorney General, Louisville, KY.
“It’s a diverse training with different perspectives from the different agencies. Enjoyed seeing how others work.”, Franklin Brito, Detective, Plainfield Police Department, Plainfield, NJ.
“The variety of presentations and presenters, ex. Philip Swift.”, Kyle Hamre, Deputy, Cass County Sheriffs Office, Fargo, ND.
“The knowledge obtained and the networking opportunity was brilliant. The staffing were friendly and professional.”, Nicholas Pestel, Sergeant, Cass County Sheriffs Department, Fargo, ND.
“The networking events and the information learned. Getting information from previous gang members really showed me what people may go through and gives reasoning to why people do what they do.”, Madison South, Deputy, Cass County Sheriffs Department, Fargo, ND.
“I really enjoyed the flexibility of being able to pick the classes to get the 24 hours.”, Presley Partlow, Deputy, Cass County Sheriffs Department, Fargo, ND.
“Instructors utilized time to answer questions. Snacks provided helped, great class system.”, Toure Simon, Detective, Plainfield Police Department, Plainfield, NJ.
“The best thing about this conference was networking and learning about successful programs for kids in gangs.”, Brittany York, Youth Case Manager, Davidson County Juvenile Court, Nashville, TN.
“Various networking opportunities.”, Don English, Director, Child Welfare and Attendance, San Bernardino, CA.
“Best experience from NGCRC was all the various opportunities to network with others in the field. I was able to learn additional effective interventions to take back and use in my community.”, Brenda Guzman, Juvenile Counselor II, Washington County Juvenile Center, Hillsboro, OR.
“Information that was given. Interaction and conversation.”, Jason T. White, Youth Security Supervisor Manager, Youth Rehabilitation & Treatment Center, Kearny, NE.
“The variety of training sessions available (and the fact that some are available on multiple days) is fantastic! The ability to take advantage of the “Criss-Cross study guide is a great benefit, allowing for more variety in training courses.”, Ryan M. Smith, Managing District Attorney, Drug & Gang Task Force, Lawrenceville, GA.
“The staff was warm, welcoming, and hospitable. Attendees were also very friendly and cordial. Thank you!”, Peculiar Miracle Awa, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, MO.
“The people and networking.”, Deovonta Moses, Cook County Temporary Juvenile Detention Center, Chicago, IL.
“Plenty of courses to choose from.”, Kevin Drummond, Detective, Palm Beach Sheriffs Office, West Palm Beach, FL.
“Very informative, I learned a lot, and looking forward to next year.”, Geneva Matthews, Team Leader, Cook County Temporary Juvenile Detention Center, Chicago, IL.
“I liked the different and variety of classes. The option to choose which classes to attend really makes the training experience better.”, Nathan Olson, Detective, Ingham County Sheriffs Office, Mason, MI.
“Networking and amount of class options.”, Zachary Cornwall, Youth Case Manger II, Davidson County Juvenile Court, Nashville, TN.
“It was an honor to be a presenter. Learning different strategies to target gangs was also extremely helpful and motivated me greatly.”, Tyler Dailey, Detective, Harford County Sheriffs Office, Bel Air, MD.
“Networking was absolutely phenomenal, met great people, great service/great people, wonderful conversations.”, Gage Bakerj, Correctional Officer, Monroe County Sheriffs Office, Bloomington, IL.
“Learning and networking.”, Jamelle Allen, Officer, Hoover Police Department, Hoover, AL.
“Learned new things, and strategy for my job. Good people and instructors.”, Abraham DeJesus, Outreach Worker, POIC, Portland, OR.
“Overall, excellent, learned so much and hope to return in the future.”, Angel Magallanes, C.A.S.E. Coordinator, Childrens Network, San Bernardino, CA.
“Best source of new ways to investigate and eradicate gangs.” Paris Smith, Agent, Desoto County Sheriffs Office, Hernando, MS.
“There were several new classes that were added this year which were a good addition.”, Brett Grosmann, Sergeant, Desoto County Sheriffs Office, Hernando, MS.
“Contacts made.”, Charles Strauser, Agent, Desoto County Sheriffs Office, Hernando, MS.
“I feel like I learned a lot of good information to be to go back to my facility and make positive changes/impact.”, Dennis Hamrick, Assistant Head Group Supervisor, Caliente Youth Center, Caliente, NV.
“Great speakers.”, Tommie Anderson, U.S. Probation Officer, U.S. Probation Office, Denver, CO.
“Networking.”, Ty Douglas, Detective, Fort Wayne Police Department, Fort Wayne, IN.
“The new presenters coming w/new information.”, Rosalee Anderson, Assistant Director, City of Portland CeaseFire, Portland, OR.
“Working together to accomplish everything.”, Larry Parker, Chief Deputy, Muscogee County Sheriffs Office, Columbus, GA.
“This is my second one and it was a a lot easier to navigate this time.”, Denise Robertson, Program Manager, POIC, Portland, OR.
“Options for training.”, Rebekah Smith, Investigator, Richland County Sheriffs Department, Columbia, SC.
“Everything was so good.”, Nicole While, Inmate Security Deputy, Williams County Sheriffs Department, Williston, ND.
“All instructors were very knowledgeable on the topics presented.”., Marcus Walker, Sergeant, Memphis Police Department, Memphis, TN.
“Great case debriefs from across the country. Wide variety of agencies/regions requested as presenters.”, Jesse Aitchison, Detective, Waterloo Police Department, Waterloo, IA.
“Networking opportunities.”, David Moore, Special Agent, ATF, Oklahoma City, OK.
“The networking of people.”, Bryan Chaplin, Gang Investigator, Tulsa Police Departmen, Tulsa, OK.
“Connections.”, Joseph F Coppola, Police Officer, Rochester Police Department, Rochester, NY.
“The gang panel on Wed.”, Andre Medlok, Youth Intervention Aide, City of Rochester, Pathways to Peace, Rochester, NY.
“Overall great conference. Very informative, Great instructors. Look forward to coming back next year.”, Christopher Calhoun, Juvenile Deputy, Hamilton County Sheriffs Office, Noblesville, IN.
“Liked being able to pick our sessions, length of sessions; some short, some longer.”, Brooke Rosebrock, U.S. Pretrial Services Officer, Bay City, MI.
“Being able to present and make meaningful connections-networking connections.”, Joshua Davis, Senior Team Lead Supervisor, Pathfinders Resources, Danville, VA.
“Learning about crimes in different cities.”, Daydrena Walker-Williams, Intensive Case Manager, POIC, Portland, OR.
“The variety of training sessions to choose from with presenters from all over.”, Kaera Watson, Investigator, Rockford Police Department, Rockford, IL.
“It was nice meeting everyone and hearing about the work done in different areas of the country.”, Dan-anh Tran, Clinical Therapist, PEI Kids, Lawrenceville, NJ.
“Lots of valuable information. Great classes.”, Allen Vannoy, Correctional Officer, Muscogee County Sheriffs Office, Columbus, GA.
“Location, networking, information, and staff was amazing.”, Dwayne Melton, Social Work Supervisor, Eldora State Training School, Eldora, IA.
“Thank you for the fellowship for the important work we all share in!”, Robert Fiorello, Director, Juvenile Intervention Services, PEI Kids, Lawrenceville, NJ.
“Great networking.”, Larry Williams Jr., Team Leader & Credible Messenger, Pathfinders Resources, Danville, VA.
“Incredibly friendly group, eager to learn and share what has worked for them in their jurisdiction.”, Matthew Krouse, Deputy District Attorney, Delaware County District Attorneys Office, Media, PA.
“Networking.”, Alvis Williams, Chief Training Officer, Pathfinders Resources, Danville, VA.
“I learned more about Gangs that I didn’t know.”, Denise Fitzpatrick, Officer, Muscogee County Sheriffs Office, Columbus, GA.
“Very friendly and respective staff members. Old Dogs Can Learn New Tricks.”, Eric Dwayn Eubanks, Sergeant, Louisville Metro Department of Corrections, Louisville, KY.
“Network with other agencies.”, Joe Albert Gereb, Deputy, Bexar County Sheriffs Office, San Antonio, TX.
“Collaboration and wealth of experienced trainers.”, Angel Guzman, Director Re-Entry, Straight Ahead Ministries, Worcester, MA.
“I like how I was given the opportunity to meet new people.”, Anthony Miller, Youth Counselor Supervisor, Eldora State Training School, Eldora, IA.
“The freedom to choose the sessions that are relevant/interesting to you. Good information shaed during networking.”, Sandy Sieving, Police Officer, Cincinnati Police Department, Cincinnati, OH.
“Variety of instructors from large to smaller agencies gives perspective and training that can be used by departments that have limited resources.”, Michael Justin Clark, Detective, West Memphis Police Department, West Memphis, AR.
“The amount of classes offered.”, Reginald L. Mobley, Corporal, Muscogee County Sheriffs Office, Columbus, GA.
“Being able to network with different agencies and learn the different trends that are occurring throughout the country. Also learning m ore about gang activities in the prison and jails. It was good to hear how different agencies prepare gang cases for trial.”, Cibert Diggs, Investigator, Muscogee County Sheriffs Office, Columbus, GA.
“Good information. Networking.”, Ronnie V. Salu, Intensive Case Manager, POIC, Portland, OR.
“All of the information and the meeting of people from around the United States.”, Joseph Johnson. Intelligence Agent, Lafayette Parish Sheriffs Office, Lafayette, LA.
“Ability to move freely to many classes.”, Sharon Peters, Correctional Officer, Corporal, Muscogee County Sheriffs Office, Columbus, GA.
“Networking.”, Todd Cantine, Sergeant, Ingham County Sheriffs Office, Mason, MI.
“The diversity of the group is amazing.”, Quentrell Curtis, Police Officer, Chicago Police Department, Chicago, IL.
“A lot of classes to choose from very detailed classes for learning law enforcement.”, Michael Albert Wilson, Investigator, Muscogee County Sheriffs Office, Columbus, GA.
“I appreciate the diversity of classes and instructors. It was great seeing gangs through the eyes of people who provide different services.”, Everett Deckard, Corrections Lieutenant, Floyd County Sheriffs Office, New Albany, IN.
“The amount of people from around US that came out to share their tactics.”, Ronald Harris, Louisville Metro Department of Corrections, Louisville, KY.
“Everyone was very helpful.”, Ryan Dawdy, Sergeant, Classification Officer, Madison County Sheriffs Department, Edwardsville, IL.
“The ability to network,
“The networking with like minded people from all over was an amazing thing to be apart of.”, Shalontay Adams
“Several topics to choose from.”, Fernando Luna
“The experience and training knowledge shared during the conference.”, Susano J Viramontes
“Networking, learning and meeting different cvgs.”, Michael “Bretto” Jackson
“Awesome staff. Great opportunity to learn from others.”, Bobby Hamilton
“All this knowledge about speakers from across the country learning new ways of investigation.”, Lendell Hood
“All the presenters I had were very knowledgeable on their topics/presentations and a few presenters I had were OMG.”, Bobby Johnson
“Presenters timely, open for questions, offered raffles, made staff feel appreciated and valued, seen, acknowledged, and encouraged to care for themselves. Philip Swift said it best: “What are you willing to suffer for, why?”, Katherine (Kat) Sanchez
“The ability to network, share, and gather ideas from other gang investigators throughout the nation. It’s good to come out of our local bubble sometimes and see what the rest of the nation is doing to confront gangs”. David S. Bastini
- - - - -
What's New: The NGCRC Online Video Training System
What we learned from the 2020 Conference, in adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic, is that a video-based training platform provides many advantages to and significantly supplements the regular "in-person" classroom-based training program. We will continue to offer this feature in the 2026 program --- it is a very useful option is what we found out. This year we have over 38 hours of training content to select from from the video training system.
With the advent of COVID 19, the NGCRC developed and enhanced a Video-Based Training system to supplement and to be an alternative to classroom based training. We still have the video training but we know the best training is classroom based where you can interact socially - - - and accomplish some networking.
The training videos include videotaped sessions of classroom training; as well as narrated power point presentations converted into video format. What is important to note here is that these training videos are viewed best by using a PC, or laptop, or think pad --- something with a real display monitor, otherwise with a regular smart phone the text information you need to absorb is difficult to render on a phone sized display.
The 2026 Conference is also therefore a "hybrid" conference: if you want nothing but classroom sit down face-to-face training sessions at the conference hotel location on August 3 - August 5, 2026 then we have lots of that --- that is our normal model of training. If you want digital training or video-based training, something you can view anytime of the day on anyday anywhere in the world --- we have that too. It is our online video training system. You can access it now at this location: https://ngcrc.com/videopage.html
If you want to mix some classroom-based training and some video-based training, you have that right here. Just be sure to have over half of the 24 hours reflect actual attendance at classroom-based training sessions.
If you want to complete your entire training program just in classroom face-to-face training sessions, you can do that. That's what we normally do.
If you want to complete all of your training (accumulating 24 hous and getting credit for 24 hours) "on-line" by using the video training system, you cannot do that; your evaluation form needs to reflect 50%+ of the hours are completed in the standard classroom-based training.
If your password does not work, call the NGCRC Training Conference Help Line: 708 258-9111 we can re-issue a password easy enough. You can also just email us that message at: gangcrime@aol.com
The NGCRC Video Training Page for the 2026 Training Program:
This Video Training Page Was Last updated: Aug. 11, 2025
The “Videopage” is a special secured training portal at the NGCRC website. It allows you to accumulate training credit using a laptop or PC, just by navigating to the videopage. It was invented during the Covid epidemic to supplement regular classroom-based training. The NGCRC takes the position that the videopage is a supplemental feature and as such should not be used as a “stand alone” vehicle of training. Be alerted, therefore, that if your intent is to avoid travel to Chicago for the classroom-based training and rely entirely on the videopage training content, you need to recognize our objections to this course of action. We have recently seen cases where someone wants to complete all of their training on the videopage option and we do not want to send the message that it is a viable option. In our view the real training is the regular classroom based face-to-face training that we offer.
We do not allow video based-only conference registrations if your intent is to receive certification.. Our training program is designed to be onsite in Chicago and in face-to-face professional training classrooms where you interact cordially with other persons undergoing training. Our video-based training is used to supplement the classroom sessions and can be used in lieu of making up a small number of hours where the majority of the hours of training are spent in the classroom mode. We cannot allow someone to register who plans to avoid actually attending any of the training sessions and instead just complete 24 hours of video-based training as a way of achieving certification. We simply believe it is true that the best training is classroom based training or field-training where you socially interact with other people and perhaps even achieve some useful networking.
The Video Training Page or Videopage is intended to be a supplement to the classroom-based curriculum. You will need to have half or more of your accumulated hours to be logged in by means of actually attending the classroom based training sessions held in Chicago.
We have seen many benefits to the video-based training. So it remains an option and it remains a part of the overall NGCRC training program. We simply need to point out some limitations of the videopage to dispel the idea that it can be used alone and as a way to complete NGCRC training “on-line”.
The Videopage portal requires that you have a valid PASSWORD. The videos at the videopage are therefore not available to the general public.
You will need to have a valid password provided to you by the NGCRC to access and use the training videos provided at the video page: https://ngcrc.com/videopage.html
By signing up for the 2026 training program, you automatically get access to both the “classroom” teaching sessions at the Chicago hotel on Aug. 3 - Aug. 5, 2026 as well as all of the on-line video-based training sessions. You can, if you want, complete your entire training program (accumulate the necessary 24 hours of training required) through this videopage portal alone if you needed to.
There are N = 38 hours of session training content provided in the video options below. We reserve the right to add new some more sessions between now and Aug. 6, 2025. You only need 24 hours of training to complete the 2026 NGCRC gang training program. So the 2026 NGCRC video training program can be easily completed remotely from this hybrid digital training platform, just view 24 of the 38 hours to pick from: however, please note, the NGCRC does not allow someone to accumulate all of their training so that it comes entirely from the videopage. The NGCRC believes that the videopage is great for an enhancement feature, and for what it was invented for (Covid). But that the primary benefit of gang training comes from in-person and face-to-face classroom based training and the social networking that goes with that.
The video content alone allows you to still pick from 19 different training tracks if you are registering for certification. You do not get credit for anything over 24 hours of training. But you can do it for “extra credit” if by that you mean educational self-help.
If you complete (view) any of the Video Training sessions for "credit" towards your certification, then you need to log it in to the supplemental Video Page Evaluation Form. This is included at the very end of this page. You can print off a PDF version at this url: https://ngcrc.com/videoevalform.pdf
You can access the 2025 Video Page Evaluation Form at: https://ngcrc.com/videoevalform.html
A copy of the Video Page Evaluation Form is also provided at the end of this text file.
If you are seeking credit for any of the session material on the Video Page, then you need to complete the Video Evaluation Form and attach it to your regular onsite conference evaluation form.
You can print off a copy of the regular onsite 2025 Conference Evaluation Form at: https://ngcrc.com/evaluationform.pdf
All evaluation forms must be received by the NGCRC on or before 5:00pm CST on August 5, 2026. It is assumed you will be present to had these in "in person" at the conference site. If you are not able to hand them in by hand "in person", then you need to make sure it is postmarked on or before 5:00pm August 5, 2026 when sending to the NGCRC at this address: NGCRC, PO Box 990, Peotone, IL 60468.
You
can fax to: 708 258-9546 You can email to: gangcrime@aol.com
Please note that there are important differences in the training experience comparing the “on-line” only versus the “on-site” classroom training experiences. The 2026 NGCRC Training Program is a “hybrid” training program as it includes both on-line and on-site training options. The choice is yours: if you want to learn remotely, you can do it on your PC-screen or your laptop through this video training system. If you want to learn “on-site”, then show up in Chicago and get your Official Conference Identification Card and attend classes being taught in the classroom.
Please note that if you are completing all of your 24 hours of training through the videopage portal alone and if you do not actually attend the conference in person, that there are significant differences in terms of what you get from your training experience. You may be able to complete the 24 hours before the date of the training conference (Aug. 4 - Aug. 6, 2025), you can start up right away to use the video-training page, and use it anytime before the conference with the password we mail to you. But if you use only the video-training page and you complete your 24 hours before the conference, we will not mail you certificates until after the conference (Aug. 5, 2026). Another significant difference is you forfeit any right to a “goody bag” that persons actually attending the conference receive. We will not mail a “goody bag” to someone who does not show up for the classroom based training. The 2026 Conference is a classroom based training program.
Please note that the NGCRC also reserves the right to not process registration applications where the intent may be evident to complete all training using the videopage option.
If you want to graduate from the video-training program using only the on-line video sessions, you miss out on getting the goody bag handed out at the conference to those who actually attend. You will also miss out on any of the opportunities afforded to you through the on-site training program including trips, receptions, special events, and all the networking that you would normally accomplish in face-to-face interaction in the on-site training experience. If you are accumulating all of your 24 hours in the video-training “on-line” training option, then your certificates will also reflect that you completed the training through the video-based training program. Those accumulating any amount of on-site training will receive the on-site versions of the training certificates.
NGCRC training sessions in the typical classroom context are structured and based on the need for good physical security, where ID’s must be worn and displayed to get access to training rooms, some of which might be restricted in attendance to sworn police officers. So, just as in the real world of classroom based training, the NGCRC Video Training System is also structured in a way to limit and control access to the training videos. The training videos consist of high definition videos and narrated power point presentations. All training videos require that you have a valid password. You can get a password by contacting the NGCRC --- call the NGCRC if necessary (708) 258-9111.
Viewing the videos: You cannot do this effectively on a smart phone. For example, narrated power-point presentations do not show up effectively on phone-size screens, it will make it too hard to read the printed material intended for reading on the powerpoint slides. You need to use a laptop size screen, or regular PC size screen, or larger thinkpad size screen to read the detailed written information. Some videos require you to do outside reading, you do not get time credit for independent reading time spent on the preparation for viewing the video. In our model of professional training, you get credit for the video time designated, not for the time it takes you to do the required reading.
To view the videos you will need a password. You can get a password only if you register for the full 2025 NGCRC training conference. Once you complete your 24 hours of training, send us the evaluation form and we will mail the training certificate to you. 2022 thru 2025 Passwords Will Not Work for this 2026 training content.
You get your 2026 Password by registering first for the 2026 training program. Everyone who registers for the NGCRC’s 2026 Gang Training Conference receives a formal letter of their Confirmation of Conference Registration.
If you have not received such a Confirmation of Conference Registration letter from the NGCRC, you need to get in touch with us ASAP, as you are probably not registered for the NGCRC’s 2025 Training Conference. You should feel free to call the NGCRC for a routine question “can you confirm my conference registration as I have not received any actual letter to that effect”. Call us at (708) 258-9111
Remember to mark your Evaluation Form when you are claiming credit for any hours or portions of hours of credit from the training. You can print out a copy of the Evaluation Form at: https://ngcrc.com/evaluationform.pdf
Here are the ways to send in your Evaluation Form: (1) by fax at 708 258-9111; (2) by U.S. Postal Service — mail to: NGCRC, PO Box 990, Peotone, IL 60468-0990; (3) by email at: gangcrime@aol.com; (4) by handing it in physically on-site at the conference location in Chicago. Feel free to send in evaluation forms at any time you have accumulated your 24 hours of required training.
Definition of terms: Where it refers to “Session #” below, it is referring to the session number assigned to the sessions as listed at the 2025 official conference website (the courses are listed in two places:
https://ngcrc.com/conference.html
and secondly at: Https://ngcrc.com/courses.html
HOW DO I ACTUALLY VIEW THE VIDEOS?
You need to just copy the link to your browser.
For example, to view video #1, just look towards the end of the listing and see that it provides the link with is an internet URL. The URL is: Https://vimeo.com/415823159
Just
highlight the URL, copy it (control C), and insert it (control V) into your
browser. Then navigate to the video site, and provide the password when prompted.
You have been provided a password in your “Confirmation of Conference
Registration” letter.
LISTING OF VIDEO TRAINING SESSIONS:
Video #1:
Session #: (71) “Gang/STG Intelligence: What We Know from the U.S. County Jails”, by George W. Knox, Ph.D., Executive Director, NGCRC.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Corrections Gang/STG Intelligence; Dealing With Gang Members in Probation/Parole; Gangs and Drugs; Gangs and Mental Health; Gang Profile Analysis; Hate Groups / White Racist Extremist Gangs; Officer Safety Skills in Dealing With Gangs.
Abstract
This presentation focuses on what we know about gang and STG activity inside American county jails. It covers the kinds of challenges that jail correctional officers face in the real world. Examined in detail are those aspects of gang life that impact on safety and security (fights, threats, attacks, homemade weapons, racial conflict, etc). Attendees will receive a detailed briefing on what is going on with regard to gangs in the context of American county jail facilities. Upon completion attendees will have a better understanding of the national picture of dealing with gangs in the jail environment.
Bio
George Knox earned his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago. He has extensive field experience with gangs, including interviewing gang members, gang leaders, and gang victims. He has taught in the field of criminal justice and sociology. He serves as the Executive Director of the National Gang Crime Research Center. He authored the first full textbook on gangs (An Introduction to Gangs) and other books and monographs on gang topics. His research interests include how to deal with gang problems in probation/parole, juvenile corrections, adult corrections, and gang threat analysis — examining the gang as a unit of social organization.
Here is the link to video #1: Https://vimeo.com/415823159
Video #2:
Session #: (61) “Understanding the Relationship Between the Individual, Gang Membership, and Desistance from Crime for Adolescent and Youth Adult Males”, by Dr. Sally-Ann Ashton, Lecturer, Psychosocial Analysis of Offending Behavior, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, England.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Dealing With Gang Members on Probation/Parole; Gang Counseling Skills; Gangs and Mental Health; Management Skills for Gang Outreach, Prevention, and Intervention Services; Dealing With Gangs in Juvenile Correctional Facilities.
Abstract
This presentation will use different research methods to explore the relationship between young people and gangs. Firstly, it will summarize research into the offending frequencies for current, prior and non-gang affiliated offenders using longitudinal data from the US Pathways to Desistence Study. This found that although gang leavers continued to offend, they had significantly different attitudes and scored lower on negative psychological traits than those who remained. Second, it will consider how young people view themselves by a narrative analysis of at-risk young people taking part in a UK gang intervention. The findings suggest that future interventions should consider broader social and psychological risks, rather than gang membership per se, to assess an individual’s risk of recidivism. This session will help those who work with youth gang members to identify those individuals who would be more open to attitudinal changes, including respect for the law, within programmes.
Bio
Sally-Ann Ashton is a Lecturer in Psychosocial Analysis of Offending Behavior at Edge Hill University, England. Her Ph.D. investigated the psychological and social risk factors associated with gang membership, group offending and desistance from crime. In 2017 she was a recipient of the Frederic Milton Thrasher Award for Superior Accomplishments in Gang Research. Sally-Ann has over 10 years of experience running training workshops in English prisons. She currently works with the Violence Reduction Unit at Mercyside Police and is responsible for the evaluation of intervention programs for young people at risk of violent offending and gang membership with Salford Foundation and Greater Manchester Combined Authorities.
Here is the link to video #2: Https://vimeo.com/415723990
Video #3:
Session #: (73) “Hybrid Gangs: How to Identify Local Gang Culture”, by Jim Bailey, Battle Creek Police Department, Battle Creek, MI; and Det. Tyler Sutherland, Gang Suppression Unit, Battle Creek Police Department, Battle Creek, MI.
Two (2) hours
Session credits: Advanced Gang Identification; Gang Crime Investigation; Gang Homicide Investigation; Gang Prosecution.
Abstract
How to identify local neighborhood gang culture, what larger gang culture influences your local gang, and how are they being influenced? How does your local gang adapt signs, symbols, tattoos, colors to your jurisdiction which may have originated elsewhere, perhaps even from a national gang culture? How are you tracking your local gang and crime stats?
Bios
Detective Tyler Sutherland has been a police officer for the Battle Creek Police Department for over 13 years. He is currently assigned to the Battle Creek Police Detective Bureau, and was previously assigned to the Gang Suppression Unit for over 6 years. As a member of the Gang Unit, Detective Sutherland was directly involved as the lead investigator in a number of gang, and violent crime, cases that resulted in courtroom trials and jury convictions. While participating in all aspects of gang investigations and court room prosecution, Detective Sutherland has been qualified as, and testified as, a gang expert in the U.S. District court and Michigan State Circuit and District Court, more than 15 times in the last five years. One of these gang cases, was the first criminal gang enhancement jury conviction in the State of Michigan since the state statute was created. He is also recognized in circuit and district court as an expert in Drug Trafficking and Drug Investigations. A Defensive Tactics Instructor, and Patrol Training Officer, he has also received Instructor certification for Active Shooter Response for Civilians, through the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center at Texas State University.
Corporal Jim Bailey has been with the Battle Creek Police Department for over 13 years, and has been assigned to the Battle Creek Police Department Gang Suppression Unit for over 6 years. Corporal Bailey has been directly involved in many of the same gang investigations as Detective Sutherland, and has assisted as one of the lead investigators with Detective Sutherland, on many of the same violence crime investigations. Corporal Bailey has also been involved in cell phone investigations, writing and executing search warrants, surveillance techniques, undercover drug buys, and managing confidential informants. Corporal Bailey has been recognized in Michigan State District Court and Circuit Court as an expert in drug trafficking and drug investigations, identifying armed subjects, and cell phone site analyses. Corporal Bailey is currently a K-9 handler for the Battle Creek Police Department and is a member of the department’s Emergency Response Team. He is a Defensive Tactics Instructor and a Patrol Training Officer for the Battle Creek Police Department. He has also received Instructor certification for Active Shooter Response for Civilians, through the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center at Texas State University.
Here is the link to Video #3: Https://vimeo.com/440800600
Video length: 1 hours and 57 minutes
Video #4:
Session #: (12) “Gang/STG Corrections Intelligence: What We Know From State Prisons in the USA — Part 1 of 4”, by George W. Knox, Ph.D., Executive Director, NGCRC.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Corrections Gang/STG Intelligence; Dealing With Gang Members in Probation/Parole; Gangs and Drugs; Gangs and Mental Health; Gang Profile Analysis; Hate Groups / White Racist Extremist Gangs; Officer Safety Skills in Dealing With Gangs.
Abstract
This presentation focuses on what we know about gang and STG activity inside American state prisons. Attendees are provided a full coverage of the latest accurate information on the following topics covered: special housing for informants; racial conflicts and race relations; contraband cell phones; overcrowding and stress and trauma on the job; suicide problems by inmates and staff; the “VID” factor and PTSD; exposure to trauma and stress on the job; increased radicalization of inmates; religious extremism; gang/STG abuse of religious worship; review of the largest white racist extremist gangs; Islamic gangs and gangs that seek to control religious services; the concept of gang density and its three measurement components; gang recruitment behind bars; inmate complaints about gang recruitment; extent of recruitment in prisons today.
Bio
George Knox earned his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago. He has extensive field experience with gangs, including interviewing gang members, gang leaders, and gang victims. He has taught in the field of criminal justice and sociology. He serves as the Executive Director of the National Gang Crime Research Center. He authored the first full textbook on gangs (An Introduction to Gangs) and other books and monographs on gang topics. His research interests include how to deal with gang problems in probation/parole, juvenile corrections, adult corrections, and gang threat analysis — examining the gang as a unit of social organization.
Here is the link to video #4: Https://vimeo.com/417129871
Length: 58 mins.
Video #5:
Session #: (14) “Gang/STG Corrections Intelligence: What We Know From State Prisons in the USA — Part 2 of 4”, by George W. Knox, Ph.D., Executive Director, NGCRC.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Corrections Gang/STG Intelligence; Dealing With Gang Members in Probation/Parole; Gangs and Drugs; Gangs and Mental Health; Gang Profile Analysis; Hate Groups / White Racist Extremist Gangs; Officer Safety Skills in Dealing With Gangs.
Abstract
This presentation focuses on what we know about gang and STG activity inside American state prisons. Attendees are provided a full coverage of the latest accurate information on the following topics covered: measuring the three aspects of gang density; how gang importation is added with joining inside; extent to which prisons report white inmates have a separate gang; names of the largest gangs in American prisons; the prevalence of reports of military trained gang members; names of the largest motorcycle gangs behind bars; reports of gang leaders influencing politicians; pressure to play down the gang problem; political corruption over time: 1994 to present; whether gangs that exist inside operate by the same name outside of prison; comparing street gangs and prison gangs; the extent to which gangs/STGs cause management problems; the problem of housing all members of one gang together.
Bio
George Knox earned his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago. He has extensive field experience with gangs, including interviewing gang members, gang leaders, and gang victims. He has taught in the field of criminal justice and sociology. He serves as the Executive Director of the National Gang Crime Research Center. He authored the first full textbook on gangs (An Introduction to Gangs) and other books and monographs on gang topics. His research interests include how to deal with gang problems in probation/parole, juvenile corrections, adult corrections, and gang threat analysis — examining the gang as a unit of social organization.
Here is the link to video #5: Https://vimeo.com/417138504
Length: 57 mins.
Video #6:
Session #: (26) “Gang/STG Corrections Intelligence: What We Know From State Prisons in the USA — Part 3 of 4”, by George W. Knox, Ph.D., Executive Director, NGCRC.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Corrections Gang/STG Intelligence; Dealing With Gang Members in Probation/Parole; Gangs and Drugs; Gangs and Mental Health; Gang Profile Analysis; Hate Groups / White Racist Extremist Gangs; Officer Safety Skills in Dealing With Gangs.
Abstract
This presentation focuses on what we know about gang and STG activity inside American state prisons. Attendees are provided a full coverage of the latest accurate information on the following topics covered: gang/STG member control of inmate economic rackets; cash seized from gang inmates; stronger gang affiliation after serving time; STG’s smuggle in contraband cell phones, make more improvised weapons; extent of formal gang training for prison staff today; threats and assaults against staff from prison gang members; the 2015 New York correctional union protest billboard portends the future — more protest billboards; whether inmate classification systems take gang membership into account; gangs extort money from inmate workers; whether Islamic inmates have separate gangs; are gang members more lawsuit oriented than non-gang members; the three types of prison riots; best estimate for latent terrorists; who wants tougher laws and zero-tolerance; the scarcity of gang renouncement programs; could improving race relations help reduce gang violence in prison; what support exists for no human contact status; large support exists for telephone and mail monitoring.
Bio
George Knox earned his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago. He has extensive field experience with gangs, including interviewing gang members, gang leaders, and gang victims. He has taught in the field of criminal justice and sociology. He serves as the Executive Director of the National Gang Crime Research Center. He authored the first full textbook on gangs (An Introduction to Gangs) and other books and monographs on gang topics. His research interests include how to deal with gang problems in probation/parole, juvenile corrections, adult corrections, and gang threat analysis — examining the gang as a unit of social organization.
Here is the link to video #6: Https://vimeo.com/418294735
Length: 61 mins.
Video #7:
Session #: (69) “Gang/STG Corrections Intelligence: What We Know From State Prisons in the USA — Part 4 of 4”, by George W. Knox, Ph.D., Executive Director, NGCRC.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Corrections Gang/STG Intelligence; Dealing With Gang Members in Probation/Parole; Gangs and Drugs; Gangs and Mental Health; Gang Profile Analysis; Hate Groups / White Racist Extremist Gangs; Officer Safety Skills in Dealing With Gangs.
Abstract
This presentation focuses on what we know about gang and STG activity inside American state prisons. Attendees are provided a full coverage of the latest accurate information on the following topics covered: 3rd component of gang density; few prisons have programs to help gang/STG inmates quit the gang; small percentage who quit gang life while in prison means basically the first two components of gang density have the greatest weight; gang density adjustment to 63.8% in U.S. prisons is the only estimate with the rigorous three point or triangulated measurement approach; review of the use of 20 strategies to control gangs/STGs; the issue of bus therapy; overwhelming majority of prisons want Congress to pass legislation enabling prisons to jam cell phone signals; new development — about 1/3 of U.S. prisons now report drones have been used to smuggle in contraband (cell phones, drugs); also new — 37.9% of prisons now provide inmates with internet access or email; almost all recognize internet access for inmates creates a new type of danger; few prisons (13.8%) allow prisoner to prisoner email; low grade for federal leadership in responding to the gang problem in the last year; 89.7% expect the gang problem in corrections to increase in the next few years; 79.3% expect the problem of inmate violence from gang members to increase; three-fourths expect an increase in gang members abusing religious rights; 72.4% expect an increase in gang members assaulting correctional officers; and 44.8% expect an increase in radical militancy among inmates.
Bio
George Knox earned his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago. He has extensive field experience with gangs, including interviewing gang members, gang leaders, and gang victims. He has taught in the field of criminal justice and sociology. He serves as the Executive Director of the National Gang Crime Research Center. He was the author of the first full textbook on gangs (An Introduction to Gangs) and other books and monographs on gang topics. His research interests include how to deal with gang problems in probation/parole, juvenile corrections, adult corrections, and gang threat analysis — examining the gang as a unit of social organization.
Here is the link to video #7: Https://vimeo.com/420466413
Length = 48 mins.
Video #8:
Session #: (51) “Psychopathy and Gang Membership”, Dr. Sally-Ann Ashton, Lecturer, Psychosocial Analysis of Offending Behavior, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, England.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Dealing With Gang Members on Probation/Parole; Gang Counseling Skills; Gangs and Mental Health; Management Skills for Gang Outreach, Prevention and Intervention Services; Dealing With Gangs in Juvenile Correctional Facilities.
Abstract
The relationship between psychopathy and long-term gang membership has been established by a number of academic papers. This presentation will give an overview of psychopathy before exploring its relationship to gang membership for a single sample from adolescence to early adulthood, using longitudinal data from the Pathways to Desistance Study. Finally, the presentation will explore the relationship between psychopathy and the offending patterns of gang membership and will consider the implications of working with individuals who have psychopathic traits.
Bio
Sally-Ann Ashton is a Lecturer in Psychosocial Analysis of Offending Behavior at Edge Hill University, England. Her Ph.D. investigated the psychological and social risk factors associated with gang membership, group offending and desistance from crime. In 2017 she was a recipient of the Frederic Milton Thrasher Award for Superior Accomplishments in Gang Research. Sally-Ann has over 10 years of experience running training workshops in English prisons. She currently works with the Violence Reduction Unit at Mercyside Police and is responsible for the evaluation of intervention programs for young people at risk of violent offending and gang membership with Salford Foundation and Greater Manchester Combined Authorities.
Here is the link to video #8: Https://vimeo.com/429173106
video length: 54mins 17 secs
Video #9:
Session #: (95) “Understanding the Roles, Behaviors, and Risk Factors and Offending Behaviors of Adolescent Female Gang Members”, by Dr. Sally-Ann Ashton, Lecturer, Psychosocial Analysis of Offending Behavior, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, England.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Female Gangs/Female Gang Members; Dealing With Gang Members on Probation/Parole; Gang Counseling Skills; Gang Prevention Skills; Gangs and Mental Health; Management Skills for Gang Outreach, Prevention, and Intervention Services.
Abstract
Using data from the Pathways to Desistance Study, this session will explore the psychological and environmental risk factors associated with female gang members in a sample of 28 participants with a mean age of 16.08 (range between 14 and 18 years of age). The presentation will also consider crime patterns of the sample, and the extent to which their offending differs from their non-gang affiliated counterparts. The session will inform those working with young women who are at risk of gang membership, mental health professionals, and those planning targeted interventions for female gang members.
Bio
Sally-Ann Ashton is a Lecturer in Psychosocial Analysis of Offending Behavior at Edge Hill University, England. Her Ph.D. investigated the psychological and social risk factors associated with gang membership, group offending and desistance from crime. In 2017 she was a recipient of the Frederic Milton Thrasher Award for Superior Accomplishments in Gang Research. Sally-Ann has over 10 years of experience running training workshops in English prisons. She currently works with the Violence Reduction Unit at Mercyside Police and is responsible for the evaluation of intervention programs for young people at risk of violent offending and gang membership with Salford Foundation and Greater Manchester Combined Authorities.
Here is the link to video #9: Https://vimeo.com/429166014
video length: 39 mins 11 secs
Video #10: This video no longer available.
Video #11:
“A Digital Version of the Conference Orientation”, approximately 15 minutes long, explains how to use evaluation form, why we need to wear the Conference ID’s while on NGCRC floors, etc, gives advice for networking. Useful to everyone attending the gang training conference.
Here is the link to Video #11: Https://vimeo.com/435317864
Video #12:
Session #: (89) “Understanding Psychological Risk Factors and Building ‘Therapeutic Helping’ Relationships with Gang Involved Youth”, by Dr. Sally-Ann Ashton, Lecturer, Edge Hill University, England; and William A. Campbell, Kentucky Juvenile Justice Training, Richmond, KY.
1.5 hours (90 minutes)
Session credits: Dealing With Gangs in Juvenile Correctional Facilities; Gang Counseling Techniques; Gang Prevention Skills; Gangs and Mental Health.
Abstract
This presentation will focus on the stages of building a therapeutic helping relationship and will explore how practitioners can utilize this system for working with young people. The session will also incorporate a summary of key psychological, social and developmental risk factors that can contribute to a young person’s recovery and desistance. It will focus on how support workers can recognize these risks and work with young people to better understand and address them.
Bios
Sally-Ann Ashton is a Lecturer in Psychosocial Analysis of Offending Behavior at Edge Hill University, England. Her Ph.D. investigated the psychological and social risk factors associated with gang membership, group offending and desistance from crime. In 2017 she was a recipient of the Frederic Milton Thrasher Award for Superior Accomplishments in Gang Research. Sally-Ann has over 10 years of experience running training workshops in English prisons. She currently works with the Violence Reduction Unit at Mercyside Police and is responsible for the evaluation of intervention programs for young people at risk of violent offending and gang membership with Salford Foundation and Greater Manchester Combined Authorities.
William A. Campbell is the Interim Director for the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice. With 26 years of working with at-risk/adjudicated teens in numerous settings ranging from acute care psychiatric, private residential treatment and group home & juvenile justice detentions. Originally, a Chicago native, William attended Western Illinois University where he received his Bachelors in Communications. Served in the US Army and is a Desert Storm Vet as member of the 101st Airborne (Air Assault) Division, honorably discharged in February 1993. In March of 1993 William began his career working with at-risk/adjudicated adolescents in an acute care psychiatric hospital. William joined the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice’s Training Branch in 2007. He has assisted and trained new direct care employees during academy training. In early 2009, certified as an expert gang specialist. In 2010, he received the DJJ Professional Development Employee of the Year award. In 2010, became a Trainer for Trainers at the National Gang Crime Research Center. William currently resides in Elizabethtown, Kentucky and is also a member of the Juvenile Justice Alternative to Detention Initiative Committee.
Here is the link to Video #12: Https://vimeo.com/437602976
Video length: 1 hour and 33 minutes
Video #13:
Session #: (22) “Gang Expert Testimony: Bringing Your Gang Investigation into Court”, by Tyler Sutherland, Gang Suppression Unit, Battle Creek Police Department, Battle Creek, MI; and Jim Bailey, Battle Creek Police Department, Battle Creek, MI.
Three (3) hours
Session credits: Gang Prosecution; Gang Crime Investigation; Gang Homicide Investigation.
Abstract
How court room testimony and gang evidence will reduce crime rates. What to say and present as a gang expert in court. How to apply your state statute of an enhanced gang crime to the evidence in your gang case. How the stored gang intelligence becomes useful in the court room. How the prosecutor and gang investigator get a case ready for courtroom prosecution.
Bios
Detective Tyler Sutherland has been a police officer for the Battle Creek Police Department for over 13 years. He is currently assigned to the Battle Creek Police Detective Bureau, and was previously assigned to the Gang Suppression Unit for over 6 years. As a member of the Gang Unit, Detective Sutherland was directly involved as the lead investigator in a number of gang, and violent crime, cases that resulted in courtroom trials and jury convictions. While participating in all aspects of gang investigations and court room prosecution, Detective Sutherland has been qualified as, and testified as, a gang expert in the U.S. District court and Michigan State Circuit and District Court, more than 15 times in the last five years. One of these gang cases, was the first criminal gang enhancement jury conviction in the State of Michigan since the state statute was created. He is also recognized in circuit and district court as an expert in Drug Trafficking and Drug Investigations. A Defensive Tactics Instructor, and Patrol Training Officer, he has also received Instructor certification for Active Shooter Response for Civilians, through the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center at Texas State University.
Corporal Jim Bailey has been with the Battle Creek Police Department for over 13 years, and has been assigned to the Battle Creek Police Department Gang Suppression Unit for over 6 years. Corporal Bailey has been directly involved in many of the same gang investigations as Detective Sutherland, and has assisted as one of the lead investigators with Detective Sutherland, on many of the same violence crime investigations. Corporal Bailey has also been involved in cell phone investigations, writing and executing search warrants, surveillance techniques, undercover drug buys, and managing confidential informants. Corporal Bailey has been recognized in Michigan State District Court and Circuit Court as an expert in drug trafficking and drug investigations, identifying armed subjects, and cell phone site analyses. Corporal Bailey is currently a K-9 handler for the Battle Creek Police Department and is a member of the department’s Emergency Response Team. He is a Defensive Tactics Instructor and a Patrol Training Officer for the Battle Creek Police Department. He has also received Instructor certification for Active Shooter Response for Civilians, through the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center at Texas State University.
Here is the link to Video #13: Https://vimeo.com/440788706
Video length: 2 hours and 47 minutes
Video #14: No longer available.
Video #15:
Session #: (84) “Alternative Methods to Attack Gang Problems: RICO, Asset Forfeitures, Federal Project Safe Neighborhood, and Use of Probation/Parole Warrants”, by Michael Tabarrok, Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney, Special Prosecutions Section, Dougherty County, Albany, GA.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Gang Crime Investigation Skills; Gang Prosecution; Management and Supervision Skills for Gang Specialists; Dealing With Gang Members in Probation/Parole; Gang Homicide Investigation.
Abstract
This session will cover using alternative methods to address gang issues. Specifically, using RICO to build gang cases, referring cases for Federal prosecution, working with probation and parole, and finally the matter of asset forfeiture as a mechanism to attack gang resources. The session will provide general legal information due to differing state laws.
Bio
Michael has been working in criminal law for 20 years now, 17 as a prosecutor in Georgia and Guam. Federal liaison for PSN cases with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia. He has asset forfeiture experience of 17 years, and having forfeited in excess of $15 mi llion en toto. Currently prosecuting gangs, drugs, and murders/death penalty cases in Albany, Georgia.
Here is the link to Video #15: https://vimeo.com/442506455
Length of video: 46 minutes 41 seconds
Video #16:
Session #: (7) “The Graffiti Identity 1 - Understanding the Game", by Kenneth Davis, Graffiti/Gang Specialist & Private Investigator, Yonkers, NY.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Advanced Gang Identification; Graffiti Identification and Analysis; Gang Crime Investigation; Gangs and Drugs; Gang Profile Analysis; Gang Internet Investigation; Gangs and Mental Health; Gangs and the Mass Media
Abstract
In today’s tight economy, the majority of police agencies are assigning graffiti vandalism investigations to their street gang or special investigations units. This session provides an introduction to graffiti art versus graffiti vandalism. In this session, participants will learn how to distinguish street gang graffiti from taggers’ graffiti, understand the basic graffiti tags and their variations, and the subcultural protocols that govern them. This session covers the various types of graffiti cultures, state laws (beyond reasonable doubt) and city codes (preponderance of the evidence) and the graffiti identity (name, formats, and styles). This is part one of a three part course sequence.
Bio
Kenneth Davis retired from the Yonkers Police Department in July of 2017. From 1985-1990 he was assigned to uniformed patrol (task force and public housing) and plainclothes (street-level and undercover narcotics). From 1990-2000 he worked street gangs, graffiti crimes and police academy. From 2000-2009 he was assigned to several middle/high schools as a school resource officer. In 2009 - 2017, as a detective, he continued investigating street gangs, narcotics (search warrants) and graffiti crimes. As the departments liaison, he assisted the YMCA’s Cure Violence/SNUG Program and the Westchester County Department of Corrections Re-entry Program. From 2017-present, he is a NYS private investigator and a graffiti/gang specialist presenting at various regional, national, and international conferences.
Here is the link to Video #16: https://vimeo.com/444102918
Length of video: 56 minutes 45 seconds
Video #`17:
Session #: (24) “The Graffiti Identity 2 - Prolific Writers & Crews", by Kenneth Davis, Graffiti/Gang Specialist & Private Investigator, Yonkers, NY.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Advanced Gang Identification; Graffiti Identification and Analysis; Gang Crime Investigation; Gangs and Drugs; Gang Profile Analysis; Gang Internet Investigation; Gangs and Organized Crime.
Abstract
Participants will learn how to recognize their presence and how to extract criminal and research intelligence through the graffiti they generate. Reinforcement of the graffiti identity (name, format, and style). This is part two of a three part course sequence.
Bio
Kenneth Davis retired from the Yonkers Police Department in July of 2017. From 1985-1990 he was assigned to uniformed patrol (task force and public housing) and plainclothes (street-level and undercover narcotics). From 1990-2000 he worked street gangs, graffiti crimes and police academy. From 2000-2009 he was assigned to several middle/high schools as a school resource officer. In 2009 - 2017, as a detective, he continued investigating street gangs, narcotics (search warrants) and graffiti crimes. As the departments liaison, he assisted the YMCA’s Cure Violence/SNUG Program and the Westchester County Department of Corrections Re-entry Program. From 2017-present, he is a NYS private investigator and a graffiti/gang specialist presenting at various regional, national, and international conferences.
Here is the link to Video #17: https://vimeo.com/444105051
Length of video: 57 minutes 3 seconds
Video #18:
Session #: (36) “A Basic Street Gangs Investigation", by Kenneth Davis, Graffiti/Gang Specialist & Private Investigator, Yonkers, NY.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Advanced Gang Identification; Graffiti Identification and Analysis; Gang Crime Investigation; Gangs and Drugs; Gang Profile Analysis; Gang Internet Investigation; Gangs and Mental Health; Gangs and the Mass Media
Notice: This course is restricted to Law Enforcement Only.
Abstract
The instructor will give an overview of one of his past street gang investigations. The session covers the example of initiating two search warrants simultaneously at separate locations: leader and second-in-command’s residences. The course covers an overview of the search warrant return (criminal evidence and gang’s intelligence)..
Bio
Kenneth Davis retired from the Yonkers Police Department in July of 2017. From 1985-1990 he was assigned to uniformed patrol (task force and public housing) and plainclothes (street-level and undercover narcotics). From 1990-2000 he worked street gangs, graffiti crimes and police academy. From 2000-2009 he was assigned to several middle/high schools as a school resource officer. In 2009 - 2017, as a detective, he continued investigating street gangs, narcotics (search warrants) and graffiti crimes. As the departments liaison, he assisted the YMCA’s Cure Violence/SNUG Program and the Westchester County Department of Corrections Re-entry Program. From 2017-present, he is a NYS private investigator and a graffiti/gang specialist presenting at various regional, national, and international conferences.
Here is the link to Video #18: https://vimeo.com/444106665
Length of video: 56 minutes 23 seconds
Video #19:
Session #: (81) “The Graffiti Identity 3 - Gang Roll Calls (Public Opinion Polls)", by Kenneth Davis, Graffiti/Gang Specialist & Private Investigator, Yonkers, NY.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Advanced Gang Identification; Graffiti Identification and Analysis; Gang Crime Investigation; Gangs and Drugs; Gang Profile Analysis; Gang Internet Investigation; Gangs and Mental Health; Gangs and the Mass Media
Abstract
Participants will learn how to recognize and analyze gang graffiti for criminal and research intelligence. Discovering the gang’s membership listing, each member’s commitment level and the groups life span. A means of enhancing a specific gangs profile. This is part three of a three part course sequence.
Bio
Kenneth Davis retired from the Yonkers Police Department in July of 2017. From 1985-1990 he was assigned to uniformed patrol (task force and public housing) and plainclothes (street-level and undercover narcotics). From 1990-2000 he worked street gangs, graffiti crimes and police academy. From 2000-2009 he was assigned to several middle/high schools as a school resource officer. In 2009 - 2017, as a detective, he continued investigating street gangs, narcotics (search warrants) and graffiti crimes. As the departments liaison, he assisted the YMCA’s Cure Violence/SNUG Program and the Westchester County Department of Corrections Re-entry Program. From 2017-present, he is a NYS private investigator and a graffiti/gang specialist presenting at various regional, national, and international conferences.
Here is the link to Video #19: https://vimeo.com/444113321
Length of video: 57 minutes 38 seconds
Video #20:
Session #: (49) “Gang Ethics 101 - Don’t Shoot the Messenger", by Kenneth Davis, Graffiti/Gang Specialist & Private Investigator, Yonkers, NY.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Management and Supervision Skills for Gang Specialists; Management; Management Skills for Gang Outreach, Prevention, and Intervention Services ; Gangs and the Mass Media; Gang and Violence Prevention Skills for School Administrators.
Abstract
This course addresses current trends challenging the modern-day gang specialist. It reviews current issues that affect how we apply apprehension, prosecution, prevention, intervention, restorative justice, and information management practices to gangs and gang members. There are many ethical issues in dealing with gangs and gang members, and it affects every stage of the process, from investigation to aftercare, even gang research itself. Should violence interrupter staff be required to “warn and protect” when they learn that gun violence is imminent? Should someone who joins a gang remain in a gang database for the rest of their life? Attend this session to learn about ethical guidelines for dealing with gangs and gang members and to share your own scenarios.
Bio
Kenneth Davis retired from the Yonkers Police Department in July of 2017. From 1985-1990 he was assigned to uniformed patrol (task force and public housing) and plainclothes (street-level and undercover narcotics). From 1990-2000 he worked street gangs, graffiti crimes and police academy. From 2000-2009 he was assigned to several middle/high schools as a school resource officer. In 2009 - 2017, as a detective, he continued investigating street gangs, narcotics (search warrants) and graffiti crimes. As the departments liaison, he assisted the YMCA’s Cure Violence/SNUG Program and the Westchester County Department of Corrections Re-entry Program. From 2017-present, he is a NYS private investigator and a graffiti/gang specialist presenting at various regional, national, and international conferences.
Here is the link to Video #20: https://vimeo.com/444114956
Length of video: 54 minutes 20 seconds
Video #21:
Session #: (68) “Street Gangs Well Defined - For Criminal or Research Intelligence", by Kenneth Davis, Graffiti/Gang Specialist & Private Investigator, Yonkers, NY.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Advanced Gang Identification; Graffiti Identification and Analysis; Gang Crime Investigation; Gangs and Drugs; Gang Profile Analysis; Gang Internet Investigation; Gangs and Mental Health; Gangs and the Mass Media
Abstract
Participants will learn how to apply tools and measurement to street groups for research and investigative purposes. The instructor will also address the groups inner dynamics, criminal activities, colors and lifespan.
Bio
Kenneth Davis retired from the Yonkers Police Department in July of 2017. From 1985-1990 he was assigned to uniformed patrol (task force and public housing) and plainclothes (street-level and undercover narcotics). From 1990-2000 he worked street gangs, graffiti crimes and police academy. From 2000-2009 he was assigned to several middle/high schools as a school resource officer. In 2009 - 2017, as a detective, he continued investigating street gangs, narcotics (search warrants) and graffiti crimes. As the departments liaison, he assisted the YMCA’s Cure Violence/SNUG Program and the Westchester County Department of Corrections Re-entry Program. From 2017-present, he is a NYS private investigator and a graffiti/gang specialist presenting at various regional, national, and international conferences.
Here is the link to Video #21: https://vimeo.com/444116586
Length of video: 56 minutes 50 seconds
Video #22:
Session #: (32) “Online Resources - Communication & Search Tools”, by Kenneth Davis, Graffiti/Gang Specialist & Private Investigator, Yonkers, NY.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Gang Crime Investigation Skills; Gangs and Drugs; Gang Profile Analysis; Advanced Gang Identification; Gang Internet Investigation; Gangs and the Mass Media
Abstract
Participants will learn the purpose of Google-alerts and E-groups and how to activate them for gang research and investigative purposes. The instructor will demonstrate how to use them for purposes of gang research and for investigative assignments as a graffiti and gang specialist.
Bio
Kenneth Davis retired from the Yonkers Police Department in July of 2017. From 1985-1990 he was assigned to uniformed patrol (task force and public housing) and plainclothes (street-level and undercover narcotics). From 1990-2000 he worked street gangs, graffiti crimes and police academy. From 2000-2009 he was assigned to several middle/high schools as a school resource officer. In 2009 - 2017, as a detective, he continued investigating street gangs, narcotics (search warrants) and graffiti crimes. As the departments liaison, he assisted the YMCA’s Cure Violence/SNUG Program and the Westchester County Department of Corrections Re-entry Program. From 2017-present, he is a NYS private investigator and a graffiti/gang specialist presenting at various regional, national, and international conferences.
Here is the link to Video #22: https://vimeo.com/444118388
Length of video: 55 minutes 25 seconds
Video #23:
Session #: (16) “Gang Mapping 101: An Introduction ”, by D. Lee Gilbertson, Ph.D., NGCRC Staff and Professor, Criminal Justice Studies, St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN. Two (2) Hours
Session credits: Gang Crime Investigation Skills; Gang Crime Analysis & Mapping; Management and Supervision Skills for Gang Specialists.
Abstract
This class is part 1 of a 2 part series. It serves as a starting point for understanding crime analysis, specifically, analytical mapping techniques as applied to gangs. Topics covered in this class: the evolution of crime analysis and mapping from the 1800s to present; intelligence levels, divisions, and processes; and the roles and responsibilities of analysts, administrators, and police officers. See the other two parts of this 3 part series.
Bio
D. Lee Gilbertson is a tenured professor at a state university in Minnesota and has been teaching since August 2000. He has studied gangs, militias, and extremist groups since 1995. He actively consults in the US and the UK with attorneys, law enforcement investigators, and medical examiners in the areas of forensic victimology and postmortem assessment, as well as crime analysis and mapping. Lee has presented at numerous national and international conferences and has participated in all of the NGCRC Gang Colleges. He is a recipient of the Frederic Milton Thrasher Award (2002, 2005, 2008) and the Curtis Robinson Leadership Award (2015). Lee is the Executive Editor for the Journal of Gang Research and is a member of the NGCRC Staff. His background includes a Ph.D. in sociology, MS in criminal justice, and 16 years of exemplary military service (infantry and signals intelligence).
Here is the link to Video #23: https://vimeo.com/444477923
Length of video: 1 hour 56 minutes 13 seconds
Video #24:
Session #: (82) “Mexican Cartels and Culture: An Analysis of Gangs Along the Southern Border”, by John J. Rodriguez, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Gang Crime Investigation Skills; Gangs and Drugs; Gangs and Organized Crime; Gang Profile Analysis; Corrections Gang/STG Intelligence; International and Transnational Gang Problems; Hate Groups/White Racist Extremist Gangs.
Abstract
The purpose of this course is to increase the knowledge and awareness of military and law enforcement officers on the Mexican cartel activities and culture in both the United States and Mexico. To gain a better understanding of this complex phenomenon, the course will employ a socio-cultural approach by including a brief history of Mexican history and culture. In addition, students will gain knowledge by observing how and where cartels operate and whom they partner up with (i.e., MS-13, Tango Blast, SUR 13, Aryan Brotherhood, Mexican Mafia, etc) to carry out illicit activities. Moreover, musical influences (narco-corridos) will be explored as well as religion/spiritual deities (Santeria, brujas, curanderos, and the Santa Muerte).
Bio
Dr. Rodriguez’s interests in academia include but are not limited to gangs, transnationalism, immigration, police issues, and Latinos in the criminal justice system. However, I am most interested in gangs, security threat groups and extremist groups. I have been studying, researching, and writing on these groups and their activity for over almost two decades. I have published and presented much of this work in the U.S. and abroad. I have also consulted and testified as an expert witness in multiple cases, which include deportation of gang members, organized crime, and various homicide cases.
Here is the link to Video #24: https://vimeo.com/444381794
Length of video: 44 minutes 21 seconds
Video #25:
Session #: (76) “The Global Growth of Nationalism”, by D. Lee Gilbertson, Ph.D., NGCRC Staff and Executive Editor, Journal of Gang Research.
One and one-half (1.5) hours
Session credits: Gang Crime Investigation Skills; Gang Profile Analysis; Advanced Gang Identification; Hate Groups/White Racist Extremist Gangs; International and Transnational Gang Problems.
Abstract
Headline: “White nationalism on the rise in the United States!” That’s only a fraction of the whole story. Gang specialists need to attend this session to learn what is happening with regard to nationalism on a worldwide scale. The instructor describes the global expansion of nationalistic pride and its affect on various countries’ politics, economies, and peoples on every continent. Maps, pictures, and videos are used to demonstrate the extent of the problem and how it is reaching into the daily lives of citizens, formal political parties and their agendas, as well as street gangs and hate/extremist groups. The definitional distinction is clarified between nationalism, socialism, national socialism, communism, and fascism.
Bio
D. Lee Gilbertson is a tenured professor at a state university in Minnesota and has been teaching since August 2000. He has studied gangs, militias, and extremist groups since 1995. He actively consults in the US and the UK with attorneys, law enforcement investigators, and medical examiners in the areas of forensic victimology and postmortem assessment, as well as crime analysis and mapping. Lee has presented at numerous national and international conferences and has participated in all of the NGCRC Gang Colleges. He is a recipient of the Frederic Milton Thrasher Award (2002, 2005, 2008) and the Curtis Robinson Leadership Award (2015). Lee is the Executive Editor for the Journal of Gang Research and is a member of the NGCRC Staff. His background includes a Ph.D. in sociology, MS in criminal justice, and 16 years of exemplary military service (infantry and signals intelligence).
Here is the link to Video #25: https://vimeo.com/444849169
Length of video: 1 hour 19 minutes
Video #26:
Session #: (34) “Introduction to Separatist, Racist and Extremist Groups (SREG’s)”, by D. Lee Gilbertson, Ph.D., NGCRC Staff and Executive Editor, Journal of Gang Research.
Two (2) hours
Session credits: Gang Profile Analysis; Hate Group/White Racist Extremist Gangs; Gang Crime Investigation Skills; Graffiti Identification and Analysis; Domestic Counter Terrorism Skills; Advanced Gang Identification.
Abstract
This session is an introduction to the various Separatist, Racist, and Extremist Groups (SREGs) in the United States today. The instructors review the founders, origins, beliefs, practices, past and current activities, and significant symbology (e.g., phrases, graffiti, and dates). Call them “Hate Groups” is too simplistic and does not capture the complexity of the problem. The instructors discuss groups that are based on religious belief, political ideology, or racial views.
Bio
D. Lee Gilbertson is a tenured professor at a state university in Minnesota and has been teaching since August 2000. He has studied gangs, militias, and extremist groups since 1995. He actively consults in the US and the UK with attorneys, law enforcement investigators, and medical examiners in the areas of forensic victimology and postmortem assessment, as well as crime analysis and mapping. Lee has presented at numerous national and international conferences and has participated in all of the NGCRC Gang Colleges. He is a recipient of the Frederic Milton Thrasher Award (2002, 2005, 2008) and the Curtis Robinson Leadership Award (2015). Lee is the Executive Editor for the Journal of Gang Research and is a member of the NGCRC Staff. His background includes a Ph.D. in sociology, MS in criminal justice, and 16 years of exemplary military service (infantry and signals intelligence).
Here is the link to Video #26: https://vimeo.com/446233533
Length of video: 1 hour 44 minutes
Video #27:
Session #: (2020-58) “Legendary Legacies Inc.: Gang Reconciliation is Community Reconciliation”, Ronald Bernard Waddell Jr., Executive Director, Legendary Legacies, Worcester, MA; and Gabriel Rodriguez, Director of Cultural Engagement, Legendary Legacies, Worcester, MA..
One (1) hour
Session credits: Gang Prevention Skills; Gang Outreach and Intervention Skills.
Abstract
Research shows that youth join gangs for protection, excitement, respect, money, or because a friend is in a gang. Youth are at higher risk of joining a gang if they engage in delinquent behaviors, are aggressive or violent, have multiple transitions in caretakers, have problems at school, associate with other gang-involved youth, or live in communities where they feel threatened and where a high percentage of youth engage in problem behavior. Legendary Legacies Inc is an organization that focuses on creating a positive community of reconciliation. Reconciliation is defined as the act of causing two people or groups to become friendly again after an argument or disagreement. In our work with gangs we develop relationships with rival gang members with an intention to work toward reconciliation. Through the use of our programs we engage conversations in a non-violent manner to promote peace and build healthy community. As a result of this work we see volatile situations defused before it escalates to the point of violent behavior.
Bios
Ronald Bernard Waddell Jr. Is the co-founder of Legendary Legacies Inc. A non-profit organization with a mission to equip young men, ages 17-24 with the tools to maximize their potential. LL has focus to work with individuals that local police have identified as “proven risk” or “impact players”. These individuals are substantially gang involved. Ronald is a certified transformational life coach through the Association for Christian Character Development, a certified Gang Specialist through The National Gang Crime Research Center and a Certified Youth Mental Health Specialist. He is a Certified Recovery Coach and holds a certificate in Non-Profit Management and Leadership from Boston University. He presents at a number of community and state events and speaks passionately and eloquently about issues affecting marginalized communities. In his down time he enjoys reading, hiking, yoga, and poetry. He lives in Worcester, MA with his two sons, Joshua, age 7, and Isaiah, age 5.
Gabriel Rodriguez is the Director of Cultural Engagement for Legendary Legacies Inc., a non-profit in the City of Worcester, MA, dedicated to seeing young men ages 17-24 maximize their potential. Growing up in Worcester, Gabriel has 10+ years of at-risk street credentials. After his last bid, he committed to make the necessary changes in his life to become a productive citizen. Gabriel is a certified residential and youth care professional. He also holds certificates for gang counseling and gangs and mental health through the NGCRC. In addition he holds a certificate from the youth worker training institute at Clark University. He specializes in youth work and has devoted himself to helping youth change their lives and reach their potential. Gabe is currently pursuing a degree in social work at Quinsigamond Community College.
Here is the link to Video #27: https://vimeo.com/447374669
Length of Video #27: 51 minutes 6 seconds
Video #28:
Session #: (57) “Street Gangs to Terrorism Affiliation”, by Michael P. Coghlan, Gang Specialist, DeKalb, IL.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Hate Groups/White Racist Extremist Gangs; Domestic Counter-Terrorism Skills; Gang Profile Analysis; Gangs and Drugs; Gangs and Mental Health; Gang Crime Investigation Skills; Management and Supervision Skills for Gang Specialists; Gang Prosecution; International and Transnational Gangs.
Abstract
This session provides an examination of the nexus in the relationship between gang organization and terrorist groups. It reviews the commonality in the 44 states which have a criminal code definition of gangs. It also examines the ideological connection between gangs and terrorist organizations. This session provides an examination of what is necessary for a conviction. It examines the elements of the criminal conspiracy. Covers gangs and terrorist groups such as the El Rukns, Muslim Brotherhood, Holy Land Foundation, Hezbollah.
Bio
Michael Coghlan was a certified gang specialist accredited through the Illinois Department of Corrections and the Springfield Police Department. He served as a trainer for gang crime specialist certification. He is a recipient of the Thrasher Award and has provided training throughout the United States for the National Law Enforcement Institute. He coordinated the investigation and prosecution of 24 gang members in a series of conspiracies, solicitation, and offenses including drive-by shootings and gang-related murder.
Here is the link to Video #28: https://vimeo.com/447642362
Length of Video #28: 56 minutes 5 seconds
Video #29:
Session #: (4) “The Use of Drones By Gangs To Smuggle Contraband into Correctional Institutions: Part 1 of 3”, by George Knox, Ph.D. and D. Lee Gilbertson, Ph.D., NGCRC Staff.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Corrections Gang/STG Intelligence; Dealing With Gang Members in Probation/Parole; Gangs and Drugs; Officer Safety Skills in Dealing With Gangs; Gang Crime Investigation Skills.
Special Note: This session is provided through the NGCRC’s Digital Video Training Platform — the VIDEOPAGE. It is technically ready to view and complete now, before the conference begins. You will automatically get a password for accessing the video training files once you register for the conference.
Abstract
Gangs and STG’s have a long history in trying to control the smuggling of drugs and cell phones into prisons. The use of drones to smuggle contraband into correctional institutions began in earnest in 2013. That’s when four offenders were arrested in a drone smuggling incident at the Calhoun State Prison in Morgan, Georgia. This is a 3 part series of a narrated power point video presentation. Part 1 covers gang involvement with inmate economic rackets and smuggling contraband, and new FAA regulations. The problem of gangs/STG’s using drones and a detailed historical chronology of examples of prison drone smuggling is provided.
Bios
George Knox earned his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago. He has extensive field experience with gangs, including interviewing gang members, gang leaders, and gang victims. He has taught in the field of criminal justice and sociology. He serves as the Executive Director of the National Gang Crime Research Center. He was the author of the first full textbook on gangs (An Introduction to Gangs) and other books and monographs on gang topics. His research interests include how to deal with gang problems in probation/parole, juvenile corrections, adult corrections, and gang threat analysis — examining the gang as a unit of social organization.
D. Lee Gilbertson is a tenured professor at a state university in Minnesota and has been teaching since August 2000. He has studied gangs, militias, and extremist groups since 1995. He actively consults in the US and the UK with attorneys, law enforcement investigators, and medical examiners in the areas of forensic victimology and postmortem assessment, as well as crime analysis and mapping. Lee has presented at numerous national and international conferences and has participated in all of the NGCRC Gang Colleges. He is a recipient of the Frederic Milton Thrasher Award (2002, 2005, 2008) and the Curtis Robinson Leadership Award (2015). Lee is the Executive Editor for the Journal of Gang Research and is a member of the NGCRC Staff. His background includes a Ph.D. in sociology, MS in criminal justice, and 16 years of exemplary military service (infantry and signals intelligence).
Here is the link to Video #29: https://vimeo.com/486835664
Length of Video #29: 57 minutes 6 seconds
Video #30:
Session #: (38) “The Use of Drones By Gangs To Smuggle Contraband into Correctional Institutions: Part 2 of 3”, by George Knox, Ph.D. and D. Lee Gilbertson, Ph.D., NGCRC Staff.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Corrections Gang/STG Intelligence; Dealing With Gang Members in Probation/Parole; Gangs and Drugs; Officer Safety Skills in Dealing With Gangs; Gang Crime Investigation Skills.
Special Note: This session is provided through the NGCRC’s Digital Video Training Platform — the VIDEOPAGE. It is technically ready to view and complete now, before the conference begins. You will automatically get a password for accessing the video training files once you register for the conference.
Abstract
Part 2 in this series provides recent findings from national jail and prison surveys about drones and smuggling. Financial factors are examined with a look at drone incidents in the federal prison system (BOP). An intensive profile analysis is provided for specific drone investigation and prosecution cases — Operation Cellmate (2014-2017) and the Muzzicato case (2019-2020).
Bios
George Knox earned his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago. He has extensive field experience with gangs, including interviewing gang members, gang leaders, and gang victims. He has taught in the field of criminal justice and sociology. He serves as the Executive Director of the National Gang Crime Research Center. He was the author of the first full textbook on gangs (An Introduction to Gangs) and other books and monographs on gang topics. His research interests include how to deal with gang problems in probation/parole, juvenile corrections, adult corrections, and gang threat analysis — examining the gang as a unit of social organization.
D. Lee Gilbertson is a tenured professor at a state university in Minnesota and has been teaching since August 2000. He has studied gangs, militias, and extremist groups since 1995. He actively consults in the US and the UK with attorneys, law enforcement investigators, and medical examiners in the areas of forensic victimology and postmortem assessment, as well as crime analysis and mapping. Lee has presented at numerous national and international conferences and has participated in all of the NGCRC Gang Colleges. He is a recipient of the Frederic Milton Thrasher Award (2002, 2005, 2008) and the Curtis Robinson Leadership Award (2015). Lee is the Executive Editor for the Journal of Gang Research and is a member of the NGCRC Staff. His background includes a Ph.D. in sociology, MS in criminal justice, and 16 years of exemplary military service (infantry and signals intelligence).
Here is the link to Video #30: https://vimeo.com/486849407
Length of Video #30: 1 hour 1 minute 4 seconds
Video #31:
Session #: (39) “The Use of Drones By Gangs To Smuggle Contraband into Correctional Institutions: Part 3 of 3”, by George Knox, Ph.D. and D. Lee Gilbertson, Ph.D., NGCRC Staff.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Corrections Gang/STG Intelligence; Dealing With Gang Members in Probation/Parole; Gangs and Drugs; Officer Safety Skills in Dealing With Gangs; Gang Crime Investigation Skills.
Special Note: This session is provided through the NGCRC’s Digital Video Training Platform — the VIDEOPAGE. It is technically ready to view and complete now, before the conference begins. You will automatically get a password for accessing the video training files once you register for the conference.
Abstract
Part 3 provides two more important drone investigation and prosecution case studies — th Kinser case (2018-2020) and the Fort Dix case (2018-2020). The less successful prosecution case involving the 107 Hoover Crips case in the incident at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary is reviewed. Possible covert indicators of drone smuggling are reviewed along with a listing of the most common types of contraband smuggled into prisons. Drone countermeasures and assistance to correctional agencies is discussed. A short 20-question quiz covers the full 3-part training video series.
Bios
George Knox earned his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago. He has extensive field experience with gangs, including interviewing gang members, gang leaders, and gang victims. He has taught in the field of criminal justice and sociology. He serves as the Executive Director of the National Gang Crime Research Center. He was the author of the first full textbook on gangs (An Introduction to Gangs) and other books and monographs on gang topics. His research interests include how to deal with gang problems in probation/parole, juvenile corrections, adult corrections, and gang threat analysis — examining the gang as a unit of social organization.
D. Lee Gilbertson is a tenured professor at a state university in Minnesota and has been teaching since August 2000. He has studied gangs, militias, and extremist groups since 1995. He actively consults in the US and the UK with attorneys, law enforcement investigators, and medical examiners in the areas of forensic victimology and postmortem assessment, as well as crime analysis and mapping. Lee has presented at numerous national and international conferences and has participated in all of the NGCRC Gang Colleges. He is a recipient of the Frederic Milton Thrasher Award (2002, 2005, 2008) and the Curtis Robinson Leadership Award (2015). Lee is the Executive Editor for the Journal of Gang Research and is a member of the NGCRC Staff. His background includes a Ph.D. in sociology, MS in criminal justice, and 16 years of exemplary military service (infantry and signals intelligence).
Here is the link to Video #31: https://vimeo.com/486858859
Length of Video #31: 58 minutes 41 seconds
Video #32: TBA
Video #33: TBA
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NGCRC Video Training By Eligible Track Areas:
There are N = 19 different training tracks to select from in the Video Training content if you register for Certification.
There are 19 different training tracks which have four or more hours of training content to choose from.
Example: The code “V3S61" means Video #3 Session #61 and it offers two (2) hours of training content in any of the training tracks where it is listed. Ignore the “S61" portion. Pay attention only to the video number, such as “V3" in this example. It refers to video #3.
Before signing up for a training track where you intend to use only the content of the Video Training Program, study it to make sure you have a minimum of 4 hours of training covered in the session credits. You need at least 4 hours of training content approved for a special track to get credit for the completion of that training track. So, yes, technically it is possible to complete a double major through the video training program alone.
(1) Gang Crime Investigation Skills Track: V3S61 (2); V13S62 (3); V15S32 (1); V16S10 (1); V17N21 (1); V18S39 (1); V19S40 (1); V21S51 (1); V22S56 (1); V23S3 (2); V24N112 (1); V25S18 (1.5); V26S9 (2); V28S6 (1);
(2) Dealing With Gang Members in Probation/Parole Track: V1S103 (1); V2S55 (1); V4S104 (1); V5S105 (1); V6S106 (1); V7S107 (1); V8S53 (1); V9S54 (1); V15S32 (1);
(3) Gang Homicide Investigation Skills Track: V3S61 (2); V13S62 (3); V15S32 (1);
(4) Gangs and Drugs Track: V4S104 (1); V5S105 (1); V6S106 (1); V7S107 (1); V16S10 (1); V17N21 (1); V18S39 (1); V19S40 (1); V21S51 (1); V22S56 (1); V24S112 (1); V29S6 (1);
(5) Gangs and Mental Health Track: V1S103 (1); V2S55 (1); V4S104 (1); V5S105 (1); V6S106 (1); V7S107 (1); V8S53 (1); V9S54 (1); V12S20 (1); V16S10 (1); V18S39 (1); V19S40 (1); V21S51 (1); V28S6 (1);
(6) Gang Internet Investigation Track: V16S10 (1); V17N21 (1); V18S39 (1); V19S40 (1); V21S51 (1); V22S56 (1);
(7) Management Skills for Gang Outreach, Prevention, and Intervention Services Track: V2S55 (1); V8S53 (1); V9S54 (1); V10S36 (1); V14S45 (1); V20S47 (1);
(8) Management and Supervision Skills for Gang Specialists Track: V15S32 (1); V20S47 (1); V23S3 (2); V28S6 (1);
(9) Corrections Gang/STG Intelligence Track: V1S103 (1); V4S104 (1); V5S105 (1); V6S106 (1); V7S107 (1); V10S36 (1); V14S45 (1); V24S112 (1);
(10) Gang Counseling Skills Track: V2S55 (1); V8S53 (1); V9S54 (1); V10S36 (1); V12S20 (1); V14S45 (1);
(11) Advanced Gang Identification Track: V3S61 (2); V16S10 (1); V17N21 (1); V18S39 (1); V19S40 (1); V21S51 (1); V22S56 (1); V25S18 (1.5); V26S9 (2);
(12) Gang Profile Analysis Track: V1S103 (1); V4S104 (1); V5S105 (1); V6S106 (1); V7S107 (1); V16S10 (1); V17N21 (1); V18S39 (1); V19S40 (1); V21S51 (1); V22S56 (1); V24S112 (1); V25S18 (1.5); V26S9 (2); V28S6 (1);
(13) Gang Prosecution Track: V3S61 (2); V13S62 (3); V15S32 (1); V28S6 (1);
(14) Gang Prevention Skills Track: V9S54 (1); V10S36 (1); V12S20 (1); V14S45 (1); V27S58 (1);
(15) International and Transnational Gang Problems Track: V24S112 (1); V25S18 (1.5); V28S6 (1);
(16) Hate Groups/White Racist Extremist Gangs Track: V1S103 (1); V4S104 (1); V5S105 (1); V6S106 (1); V7S107 (1); V24S112 (1); V25S18 (1.5); V26S9 (2); V28S6 (1);
(17) Officer Safety Skills in Dealing With Gangs Track: V1S103 (1); V4S104 (1); V5S105 (1); V6S106 (1); V7S107 (1);
(18) Gangs and the Mass Media: V16S10 (1); V18S39 (1); V19S40 (1); V20S47 (1); V21S51 (1); V22S56 (1);
(19) Graffiti Identification and Analysis Track: V16S10 (1); V17N21 (1); V18S39 (1); V19S40 (1); V21S51 (1); V26S9 (2);
Some of the Advantages of the NGCRC’s New Video-Based Gang Training:
1. You have lots of choices, over 30 hours of training content to pick from. You need only log in 24 hours, so you have extra credit training if you want it: you can watch the entire 30+ hours of content. You just get credit for 24 hours. The 24 hours is our normal training time for any level of certification.
2. If you have previously attended NGCRC training, you can use the video-based training system to upgrade your level of certification.
3. Just print off your Evaluation Form from the NGCRC website (https://ngcrc.com/videoevalform.pdf), navigate to the video you want to watch, type in the password we give you, and log in whatever time you spend in the video on your Evaluation Form. Just like in the face-to-face classroom training in Chicago.
Some Q & A About the Video Training Program:
Q: Is there a reduced rate if I just want to take all of the required 24 hours of training through the Video Training Program?
A: No. The Video Training Program is simply provided as an enhancement to the existing classroom based training program. You sign up for either non-certification or certification. There is no reduction in cost if you just want to use the video-based training courses only to complete your 24 hours.
Q: If I just did my full 24 hours through the Video Training Program and did not actually show up in Chicago, would I still be getting what other people get?
A: No way. First, if you don’t show up in Chicago to get your conference ID, you won’t get a goody bag. We do not mail out goody bags to people who do not show up for the conference. You just lose out on a goody bag if you are not physically present to claim it. And with over 100 courses to pick from in the existing classroom curriculum, you have a much better and much more extensive set of training options to pick from if you attend the actual classroom training. If you restrict yourself to video only training, you restrict yourself to only those smaller choices. And one of the most valuable benefits would be forfeited by definition if you did not show up in Chicago: the social networking advantages.
Q: Can I download the videos?
A: No, you can live stream them, watch them one at a time, but you cannot download them. You can watch and re-watch them.
Q: How long do I have to watch the videos and send in my Evaluation Form?
A: Until the official end of the conference (8-5-2026). You can watch the videos as many times as you like. The password for video access expires 8-5-2026. You will not have access to the videos after that expiration date. It is your duty to hand in an evaluation form before you can complete the program. Evaluation forms also need to be handed in on or before 8-5-2026. You need to have a plan to fax or mail the Evaluation Form to the NGCRC so that it is postmarked by the U.S. Postal Service on or before 8-5-2026 (fax to: 708 258-9546, mail to: NGCRC, PO Box 990, Peotone, IL 60468).
Q: Can I effectively watch the videos on a smart phone?
A: No. You need to use a laptop or personal computer. A smart phone won’t work very well for the purpose of using these training videos. A lot of the videos use powerpoint slides containing significant amounts of narrative information you need to read. You need a PC sized screen, or laptop, anything with a large screen to display the information you need to read.
Q: I plan on actually being in Chicago and actually attending some of the classes, but I also want to complete some classes from the Video-based Training Program, how do I get credit for both?
A. When you first register for the NGCRC 2026 Training Conference, you are sent a password, you can start using it in the Video-Based Training Program anytime you want. Consider printing off the evaluation form the moment you view your first training video, so you can give a rating for that session and indicate the amount of time you spent in that session number on your evaluation form. Just mark it as completed on your evaluation form.
Q: Do I get credit for the time it takes to complete the required or recommended reading for a session?
A: No, you are expected to have to spend time on a reading assignment if it is recommended for a video session.
Q: Do all of the instructors have “tests” or “quizzes” for their sessions?
A: No, that is something the individual instructor may or may not require and it is always made explicit in the session description information. So there are no surprises.
Q: Are the training videos “interactive”, can the student who is watching the video ask the instructor a question during the presentation?
A: No. They are videos. There is nothing socially interactive between the trainee viewing the training session and the trainer who is making the presentation in the training session. Nothing here implies that the instructor has any duty or obligation to interact with the person viewing the video. Nor is this level of direct contact promised in any context other than the direct face-to-face in-classroom training sessions that go on at the physical site of the training conference — the Westin Michigan Avenue Hotel, Chicago, IL. If you want to ask a question to the presenter, it will not be possible in the videopage training sessions. Asking a question to the presenter would be possible only in the regular face-to-face classroom based training sessions.
Q: If I complete all of my hours through the Video Training Program, will my certificate of training reflect that it was “video-based”?
A: Yes. There is a big difference in the quality of training and experiences comparing the video-only versus classroom-based training sessions. So if all of your training was completed in the Video Training Program, your certificate will have to reflect that you completed your required hours of training in the Video Training Program.
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for the Video Training Page Evaluation Form --- highlight it with your mouse, copy it (control c) to a new page, print it, complete it, send it in.
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The NGCRC Video Training Page Evaluation Form for the 2026 Training Program:
Print Your Name Neatly:____________________________________________
Fax to: (708) 258-9546 Or Email to: gangcrime@aol.com
Or Mail to: NGCRC, PO Box 990, Peotone, IL 60468
Or hand in at the conference site location.
1. Did you watch Video #1: Session #: (71) “Gang/STG Intelligence: What We Know from the U.S. County Jails”, by George W. Knox, Ph.D., Executive Director, NGCRC.
___Yes ___No If yes, hours logged in ____
Not Satisfied __1 __2 __3 __4 __5 __6 __7 __8 __9 __10 Very Satisfied
2. Did you watch Video #2: Session #: (61) “Understanding the Relationship Between the Individual, Gang Membership, and Desistance from Crime for Adolescent and Youth Adult Males”, by Dr. Sally-Ann Ashton, Lecturer, Psychosocial Analysis of Offending Behavior, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, England. ___Yes ___No If yes, hours logged in ____
Not Satisfied __1 __2 __3 __4 __5 __6 __7 __8 __9 __10 Very Satisfied
3. Did you watch Video #3: Session #: (73) “Hybrid Gangs: How to Identify Local Gang Culture”, by Jim Bailey, Battle Creek Police Department, Battle Creek, MI; and Det. Tyler Sutherland, Gang Suppression Unit, Battle Creek Police Department, Battle Creek, MI. ___Yes ___No If yes, hours logged in ____
Not Satisfied __1 __2 __3 __4 __5 __6 __7 __8 __9 __10 Very Satisfied
4. Did you watch Video #4: Session #: (12) “Gang/STG Corrections Intelligence: What We Know From State Prisons in the USA — Part 1 of 4”, by George W. Knox, Ph.D., Executive Director, NGCRC. ___Yes ___No If yes, hours logged in ____
Not Satisfied __1 __2 __3 __4 __5 __6 __7 __8 __9 __10 Very Satisfied
5. Did you watch Video #5: Session #: (14) “Gang/STG Corrections Intelligence: What We Know From State Prisons in the USA — Part 2 of 4”, by George W. Knox, Ph.D., Executive Director, NGCRC. ___Yes ___No If yes, hours logged in ____
Not Satisfied __1 __2 __3 __4 __5 __6 __7 __8 __9 __10 Very Satisfied
6. Did you watch Video #6: Session #: (26) “Gang/STG Corrections Intelligence: What We Know From State Prisons in the USA — Part 3 of 4”, by George W. Knox, Ph.D., Executive Director, NGCRC. ___Yes ___No If yes, hours logged in ____
Not Satisfied __1 __2 __3 __4 __5 __6 __7 __8 __9 __10 Very Satisfied
7. Did you watch Video #7: Session #: (69) “Gang/STG Corrections Intelligence: What We Know From State Prisons in the USA — Part 4 of 4”, by George W. Knox, Ph.D., Executive Director, NGCRC. ___Yes ___No If yes, hours logged in ____
Not Satisfied __1 __2 __3 __4 __5 __6 __7 __8 __9 __10 Very Satisfied
8. Did you watch Video #8: Session #: (51) “Psychopathy and Gang Membership”, Dr. Sally-Ann Ashton, Lecturer, Psychosocial Analysis of Offending Behavior, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, England. ___Yes ___No If yes, hours logged in ____
Not Satisfied __1 __2 __3 __4 __5 __6 __7 __8 __9 __10 Very Satisfied
9. Did you watch Video #9: Session #: (95) “Understanding the Roles, Behaviors, and Risk Factors and Offending Behaviors of Adolescent Female Gang Members”, by Dr. Sally-Ann Ashton, Lecturer, Psychosocial Analysis of Offending Behavior, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, England. ___Yes ___No If yes, hours logged in ____
Not Satisfied __1 __2 __3 __4 __5 __6 __7 __8 __9 __10 Very Satisfied
10. SKIP
11. Did you watch Video #12: Session #: (89) “Understanding Psychological Risk Factors and Building ‘Therapeutic Helping’ Relationships with Gang Involved Youth”, by Dr. Sally-Ann Ashton, Lecturer, Edge Hill University, England; and William A. Campbell, Kentucky Juvenile Justice Training, Richmond, KY. ___Yes ___No If yes, hours logged in ____
Not Satisfied __1 __2 __3 __4 __5 __6 __7 __8 __9 __10 Very Satisfied
12. Did you watch Video #13: Session #: (22) “Gang Expert Testimony: Bringing Your Gang Investigation into Court”, by Tyler Sutherland, Gang Suppression Unit, Battle Creek Police Department, Battle Creek, MI; and Jim Bailey, Battle Creek Police Department, Battle Creek, MI. ___Yes ___No If yes, hours logged in ____
Not Satisfied __1 __2 __3 __4 __5 __6 __7 __8 __9 __10 Very Satisfied
13. SKIP
14. Did you watch Video #15: Session #: (84) “Alternative Methods to Attack Gang Problems: RICO, Asset Forfeitures, Federal Project Safe Neighborhood, and Use of Probation/Parole Warrants”, by Michael Tabarrok, Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney, Special Prosecutions Section, Dougherty County, Albany, GA. ___Yes ___No If yes, hours logged in ____
Not Satisfied __1 __2 __3 __4 __5 __6 __7 __8 __9 __10 Very Satisfied
15. Did you watch Video #16: Session #: (7) “The Graffiti Identity 1 - Understanding the Game", by Kenneth Davis, Graffiti/Gang Specialist & Private Investigator, Yonkers, NY.
___Yes ___No If yes, hours logged in ____
Not Satisfied __1 __2 __3 __4 __5 __6 __7 __8 __9 __10 Very Satisfied
16. Did you watch Video #`17: Session #: (24) “The Graffiti Identity 2 - Prolific Writers & Crews", by Kenneth Davis, Graffiti/Gang Specialist & Private Investigator, Yonkers, NY.
___Yes ___No If yes, hours logged in ____
Not Satisfied __1 __2 __3 __4 __5 __6 __7 __8 __9 __10 Very Satisfied
17. Did you watch Video #18: Session #: (36) “A Basic Street Gangs Investigation", by Kenneth Davis, Graffiti/Gang Specialist & Private Investigator, Yonkers, NY.
___Yes ___No If yes, hours logged in ____
Not Satisfied __1 __2 __3 __4 __5 __6 __7 __8 __9 __10 Very Satisfied
18. Did you watch Video #19: Session #: (81) “The Graffiti Identity 3 - Gang Roll Calls (Public Opinion Polls)", by Kenneth Davis, Graffiti/Gang Specialist & Private Investigator, Yonkers, NY.
___Yes ___No If yes, hours logged in ____
Not Satisfied __1 __2 __3 __4 __5 __6 __7 __8 __9 __10 Very Satisfied
19. Did you watch Video #20: Session #: (49) “Gang Ethics 101 - Don’t Shoot the Messenger", by Kenneth Davis, Graffiti/Gang Specialist & Private Investigator, Yonkers, NY.
___Yes ___No If yes, hours logged in ____
Not Satisfied __1 __2 __3 __4 __5 __6 __7 __8 __9 __10 Very Satisfied
20. Did you watch Video #21: Session #: (68) “Street Gangs Well Defined - For Criminal or Research Intelligence", by Kenneth Davis, Graffiti/Gang Specialist & Private Investigator, Yonkers, NY. ___Yes ___No If yes, hours logged in ____
Not Satisfied __1 __2 __3 __4 __5 __6 __7 __8 __9 __10 Very Satisfied
21. Did you watch Video #22: Session #: (32) “Online Resources - Communication & Search Tools”, by Kenneth Davis, Graffiti/Gang Specialist & Private Investigator, Yonkers, NY.
___Yes ___No If yes, hours logged in ____
Not Satisfied __1 __2 __3 __4 __5 __6 __7 __8 __9 __10 Very Satisfied
22. Did you watch Video #23: Session #: (16) “Gang Mapping 101: An Introduction ”, by D. Lee Gilbertson, Ph.D., NGCRC Staff and Professor, Criminal Justice Studies, St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN. ___Yes ___No If yes, hours logged in ____
Not Satisfied __1 __2 __3 __4 __5 __6 __7 __8 __9 __10 Very Satisfied
23. Did you watch Video #24: Session #: (82) “Mexican Cartels and Culture: An Analysis of Gangs Along the Southern Border”, by John J. Rodriguez, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX. ___Yes ___No If yes, hours logged in ____
Not Satisfied __1 __2 __3 __4 __5 __6 __7 __8 __9 __10 Very Satisfied
24. Did you watch Video #25: Session #: (76) “The Global Growth of Nationalism”, by D. Lee Gilbertson, Ph.D., NGCRC Staff and Executive Editor, Journal of Gang Research.
___Yes ___No If yes, hours logged in ____
Not Satisfied __1 __2 __3 __4 __5 __6 __7 __8 __9 __10 Very Satisfied
25. Did you watch Video #26: Session #: (34) “Introduction to Separatist, Racist and Extremist Groups (SREG’s)”, by D. Lee Gilbertson, Ph.D., NGCRC Staff and Executive Editor, Journal of Gang Research. ___Yes ___No If yes, hours logged in ____
Not Satisfied __1 __2 __3 __4 __5 __6 __7 __8 __9 __10 Very Satisfied
26. Did you watch Video #28: Session #: (57) “Street Gangs to Terrorism Affiliation”, by Michael P. Coghlan, Gang Specialist, DeKalb, IL. ___Yes ___No If yes, hours logged in ____
Not Satisfied __1 __2 __3 __4 __5 __6 __7 __8 __9 __10 Very Satisfied
27. Did you watch Video #29: Session #: (4) “The Use of Drones By Gangs To Smuggle Contraband into Correctional Institutions: Part 1 of 3”, by George Knox, Ph.D. and D. Lee Gilbertson, Ph.D., NGCRC Staff. ___Yes ___No If yes, hours logged in ____
Not Satisfied __1 __2 __3 __4 __5 __6 __7 __8 __9 __10 Very Satisfied
28. Did you watch Video #30: Session #: (38) “The Use of Drones By Gangs To Smuggle Contraband into Correctional Institutions: Part 2 of 3”, by George Knox, Ph.D. and D. Lee Gilbertson, Ph.D., NGCRC Staff. ___Yes ___No If yes, hours logged in ____
Not Satisfied __1 __2 __3 __4 __5 __6 __7 __8 __9 __10 Very Satisfied
29. Did you watch Video #31: Session #: (39) “The Use of Drones By Gangs To Smuggle Contraband into Correctional Institutions: Part 3 of 3”, by George Knox, Ph.D. and D. Lee Gilbertson, Ph.D., NGCRC Staff. ___Yes ___No If yes, hours logged in ____
Not Satisfied __1 __2 __3 __4 __5 __6 __7 __8 __9 __10 Very Satisfied
DONE.
Attach this to your regular onsite evaluation form and hand it in.
Or mail to: NGCRC, PO Box 990, Peotone, IL 60468-0990
Or fax to: 708 258-9546
Or email to: gangcrime@aol.com
Deadline to be received by the NGCRC: 6pm, Aug. 5th, 2026.
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THE NGCRC's COVID-19 COMPLIANCE POLICY
As always, the NGCRC will comply to the letter of the law with any existing governmental guidelines regarding COVID-19 if applicable in 2026.
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Want a Short Six Page "Brochure Version" of What is in This Lengthy File?
Some people like all the details, that is provided in this file (www.ngcrc.com/conference.html). Others need something "short and sweet" to attach to a travel request. We have that too: it is the six page basic "Brochure Version" of this lengthy and detailed conference file. It also includes a registration form and cost information.
Click here for the Six Page Brochure Version in PDF Format. Or navigate to: https://ngcrc.com/brochure.pdf
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THRASHER AWARDS:
A Call for Nominations
The Thrasher Award is named in honor of Frederic Milton Thrasher, the author of the classic 1927 study of Chicago gangs, who generated the first social scientific analysis of gangs. Some say he started a new field of study: gangology.
Thrasher
is known for his book The Gang: 1,313
Gangs in Chicago.
The Thrasher Awards recognize outstanding contributions in research, scholarship, service, leadership, and other related accomplishments in dealing with the gang problem.
The Thrasher Award is international in scope, and has recognized a number of different experts and leaders in countries outside of the Unites States. Foreign recipients in the past have included gang experts from South Africa, the West Indies, Canada, Turkey, Great Britain, El Salvador, and Denmark.
The Thrasher Awards began in 1997 and have been a feature of the Offical Opening Ceremony of the NGCRC's annual international gang specialist training conference ever since. In 2026 the NGCRC celebrates 29 years of continuous, uninterrupted, classroom-based training in Chicago.
If you know someone who has achieved something outstanding in this area, then please send your nominations to: The 2026 Thrasher Awards Committee, National Gang Crime Research Center, P.O. Box 990, Peotone, IL 60468. You can fax these as well: (708) 258-9546. You can email as well to: gangcrime@aol.com
Your nomination should be in the form of an official letter addressed to the NGCRC's 2025 Thrasher Awards Committee. It should indicate the primary category of accomplishment: remember the Thrasher Award recognizes outstanding contributions in research, scholarship, service, leadership, and other related accomplishments in dealing with the gang problem. Provides as much detail as you can and include any supportive documentation you feel is relevant (news coverage, endorsements, program history, historical summaries, etc). In no case should the full nomination narrative letter and supportive documentation exceed thirty typed pages.
The policy of the NGCRC is to provide complete and absolute identity protection to those who would want to nominate someone for a Thrasher Awards. The identity of a person or organization that would nominate someone for a Thrasher Award is therefore protected by this explicit written policy of the NGCRC. We will not reveal this information to recipients, it is considered confidential information. But by the same token, the NGCRC cannot accept "anonymous nominations". As a general guideline, for "how to prepare" a nomination: one cover letter, and then whatever attachments and documents you feel are necessary to support the nomination. Attachments can include: statements or letters from others, corroborating the nomination, newspaper coverage, any forms of documentation that can support the nomination.
Thrasher Awards will be made at NGCRC's 2026 Twenty Nineth International Gang Specialist Training Program for persons who have made outstanding contributions in research, scholarship, service, leadership, and other accomplishments in dealing with the gang problem. These Awards cannot be made in absentia.
Thrasher
Awards are made on-site during the Conference in a special ceremony. Awards
ceremony time and date is as follows: Monday, 7:00am, August 3, 2026, Chicago
Ballroom, Westin Michigan Avenue Hotel. Award Recipients must be seated in the
front row area. Arrive just before 7am and check in with the staff in front,
tell them you are an Award Recipient.
Preliminary List of Thrasher Award Recipients for 2026:
TBA
Why the NGCRC has continued to set the "Gold Standard" for Gang Training:
The National Gang Crime Research Center (NGCRC) has pioneered the field by first of all being producers of gang knowledge, publishing and disseminating useful information recognized at the highest levels of the social scientific community. Additionally, the NGCRC has a long track record of service (1990 to present) to law enforcement and correctional agencies nationwide in the goal of reducing gang violence. The research and intelligence analysis developed by the NGCRC over the years, and published in its scholarly journal, the Journal of Gang Research (now in its 33rd year of publication), is of great practical value for gang investigators in law enforcement and STG coordinators in the field of corrections. Gang investigators at all levels of government, here and abroad, as well as gang/STG experts in corrections who attend the NGCRC training conferences have clearly made their views known that the NGCRC training is the best in regard to offering high quality practical choices. Police and corrections experts teach a variety of courses at the NGCRC training conference.
The NGCRC, unlike other gang training groups, has a high level of transparency. The NGCRC provides a enormous amount of information about all details of the training conference. A lot of work goes into providing attendees with voluminous information about every aspect of the conference: from information about the trainers, to the descriptions of courses, to the tours, receptions, and special networkng events. The NGCRC even provides a preliminary schedule of events months before the actual training date, so that an attendee can literally "map out" and create an full personlized training experience by picking and choosing what to attend in advance. The NGCRC model illustrates a high level of professionalism.
The NGCRC training conference is specifically designed to “train the trainer”: someone who completes the training will be able to return to their police department or institution equipped to train others. Investigators return with a wealth of printed information, and lots of new “networking contacts”: persons to call upon in the future.
GOOD TO VERIFY IF YOU ARE ACTUALLY REGISTED FOR THIS CONFERENCE:
It is good to verify it if you think you are registered for this conference and if you have not received what is called a "Confirmation of Conference Registration" letter from the NGCRC.
The NGCRC sends out a "registration confirmation" to everyone who is actually registered for the conference. This letter documents what training track you may have signed up for, and can also serve as a receipt for payment of conference fees.
So if you think you are registered and you have not received a "Registration Confirmation", then you may want to use a VERIFY MY REGISTRATION FORM. This form can be faxed or mailed in to the NGCRC and we will be able to promptly verify back to you if you are or are not registered. Please no phone or email inquiries: we need it in writing.
This procedure is particularly helpful if your agency has "dropped the ball" in terms of getting the registration form/payment mailed off to the NGCRC.
You would not be eligible to register for the conference if you cannot sign the Policy statement on the regular NGCRC registration form; as a long standing rule, we do not allow journalists or defense attorneys because of the disruptive chilling effect they have. This is a mostly police conference: no one is authorized to take photographs or digitital recordings of any kind at the NGCRC conference, it is simply true that we get a lot of undercover detectives who deserve to have their privacy protected. We do not allow researchers to attend the Conference with the intent to use the attendees as informal or qualitative "data".
The Verify My Registration Form
Name:_______________________________________________________________________________________
Mailing address:________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip:________________________________________________________________________________
Fax my confirmation back to me at this fax number: Area Code:________ Fax Number:__________________________
PROCEDURE FOR REGISTERING BY MEANS OF A PURCHASE ORDER
While most people pay by credit card or check the NGCRC can accept goverenment Purhase Orders (PO). This explains the new streamlined policy and procedure for persons from government agencies who seek to register for the 2026 NGCRC Training Conference by means of a Purchase Order or related type of procurement method. There are four main provisions of this policy and procedure and they are as follows:
1. A purchase order number must be provided on the form used by the Agency, and it must bear a signature. It should reflect that the payee will be the NGCRC and the form should also reflect the specific amount payable to the NGCRC (call if you have any questions in this regard). Please provide any special billing information (e.g., who specifically we should make the Invoice out to and where specifically we should mail the Invoice to).
2. Fax your registration forms and the Purchase Order to the NGCRC ASAP. The NGCRC fax number is (708) 258-9546. After faxing it in, simply complete the registration form and attach a purchase order and mail it in ASAP to: National Gang Crime Research Center, Conference Processing Center, PO Box 990, Peotone, IL 60468. Or fax it. Please note that the NGCRC will not accept “onsite” registrations by means of oral declarations that “my agency is going to pay for it”, and will not accept on-site purchase orders. If you are planning to pay by means of Purchase Order, then it must be done before the conference.
3. Upon receipt of the registration form(s) and the purchase order form (or a letter head proforma version) the NGCRC will register the persons(s) and issue their agency an Invoice. The expected terms of the Invoice are that your agency pays "Net 30 Days". If you need something other than a "NET 30", then you need to discuss and inquire with the NGCRC about that in advance of issung a Purchase Order. At the same time, the NGCRC will send individual letters confirming the registration to those persons. There are no “on-site” registration options for payment by means of a Purchase Order.
4. Those registering by means of a Purchase Order or if paying by a credit card can simply fax in their registrations, the fax number for the NGCRC is (708) 258-9546. They can also email to: gangcrime@aol.com
THE TRAINING SCHEDULE:
The training schedule is as follows:
August 2 (Sunday), 2026: You can register from 3:00pm to 10:00pm, pick up your badge and bag of goodies. Early bird sessions 3pm-5pm and 5pm-7pm.
August 3 (Monday), 2026: Opening day begins 7am with an Official Welcoming Ceremony. Classes begin at 8:00am. And activities continue into the night, ending at 9:00pm CST..
August 4 (Tuesday), 2026: early riser sessions begin 6am; regular sessions begin 8am and continue into the night.
August 5 (Wednesday), 2026: early riser sessions begin 6am; regular sessions begin 8am, and terminate at 5:00p.m. You must pick up your certificates before 6:00pm.
Note: we provide early morning sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday; we provide noon sessions; and we provide early evening sessions on Mon. And Tues. Evenings — this "extra credit" allows persons to accumulate 24 hours of training by using the “customized schedule”, and by accumulating four hours out of the regular schedule allows you to leave at noon on Wednesday (giving you much flexibility on airline schedules for departing Chicago on Wednesday). These "early morning sessions" begin at either 6am or 7am; the evening courses begin at 5pm and can go up till 10pm if we need to. Thus, when you complete your 24 hours, you are eligible to depart with your certificates. Clothing suggestion: business casual.
The full schedule of events provides a day by day, hour by hour, room by room description of all events at the 2026 Conference, it is located at: https://www.ngcrc.com/schedule.html
An Option for 2026: The Double Major
(Signing Up for Two Tracks)
The NGCRC has had repeated requests for this over the years, the idea of having a "double major": i.e., to be able to sign up for two (2) different specialty track areas. The benefit, of course, is that such a "double major" would result in two different specialty track certificates: one certificate for each of the two tracks.
The NGCRC is pleased to announce that the double major option is now available and it is described here.
Q: What does it mean to have a double major?
A: All it means is you can have two "tracks"; you have to log in a minimum of four hours in each of the two specialty areas.
Q: How many certificates do I get if I am registered for non-certification?
A: None.
Q: How many certificates do I get if I registered for certification?
A: Two: one for your program of study reflecting the completion of the 2025 program consisting of 24 hours of training, and one for your specialty area. Previously in history people attending the conference could only have one track.
Q: If I sign up for the Double Major or "two track option", how many certificates will I get?
A: Three: your basic 24 hour program completion certificate, and then one each for each of the two (2) different tracks.
Q: How much does it cost to sign up for the Two Track Option?
A: $90.00 if paid before July 1st; $105 if paid on or after that or onsite.
Q: What if there is a scheduling conflict and I discover at the conference I cannot accumulate the minimum number of hours in one of the two tracks?
A: We will refund your Two Track Option amount in full, no problem; and return you to the one track registration mode of your choice.
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The Two Track Sign Up Form
Yes, sign me up for the Double Major.
Print Name:____________________________________________________
Address:______________________________________________________
City, State, Zip:_________________________________________________
Print name of 2nd Track here:_______________________________________
Enclose $90.00 check or money order made payable to the National Gang Crime Research Center, and mail to: NGCRC, PO Box 990, Peotone, IL 60468-0990.
If paying on or after July 31, 2026 please note that the fee increases to $105.
PAYMENT METHOD: We do accept credit card payments.
_____Payment enclosed in check or money order made payable to "National Gang Crime Research Center"
_____VISA, MasterCard, American Express or Discover (Circle one).
Card number:________________________________________________________________________________
Expiration date: Month___________________________ Year:_______________________ CVC# On card:______
Name on card: (printed):___________________________________________________________________
Telephone of card holder in case we need to call:_________________________________________________
Your Signature:________________________________ Amount you authorize to charge (total):__$______________
Billing
Address for the card holder(Printed): (street address)__________________________________________________________
Zip Code for the Billing Address:__________________________________
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GOT QUESTIONS: Call the NGCRC at (708) 258-9111
The "Added Value" of NGCRC Training:
The added value of NGCRC training is easy to explain and it is designed to be different than other groups who sponsor such training conferences: you get more for your money. You see that reflected in the evaluation results from previous NGCRC Conferences. Other people "copy" what we do, or they try to. But you can do a quick check of facts here: who else offers as many different sessions or courses than the NGCRC? It is such a huge and massive undertaking, that persons who attend this conference benefit from the very factor of "diversity" in the choices they have ---- what they want to learn, what instructors they want to learn from, etc
First, all NGCRC trainees are given a wealth of high-quality take home printed training materials. The value of these books, reflecting the official books and journals from the NGCRC and related topics of interest about gangs, is itself a value comparable to the price of training itself. Most gang training programs provide a small amount of take-home written training materials, while the NGCRC provides an abundance of high-quality written take-home training materials. All persons attending the conference receive a "bag of goodies" which includes these kinds of useful written take-home training materials.
Secondly, no other training organization in the world provides the large variety of training options that the NGCRC provides; the NGCRC brings in more trainers and provides, therefore, more "choices" to trainees. NGCRC provides a large professional training experience in an environment designed for training. For example in the 2025 Conference there were over one hundred different sessions. Typically, gang conferences offer a small selection of training options. So if you think a variety of choices is a good thing, then you need to attend our training conference.
Thirdly, the NGCRC training is designed to produce "trainers": trainees who attend and complete the training typically return to their respective jurisdictions with an incredible new arsenal of training tools to train others in the field. You will get new and useful gang information at our 2026 Training Conference.
Fourthly, the NGCRC training includes social opportunities that are structured to enhance the ability of the trainee to network with others in the field at a national and international level.
BENEFITS OF ATTENDING THE 2026 NGCRC TRAINING CONFERENCE:
You have the power to "choose" what you want to learn. You have the right to "major in" what area of specialization or concentration you are interested in. Our conference provides an incredible array of different professional gang training sessions that trainees can make up their own minds what they want to attend. This is not the "one size fits all" model of training where every trainee attends each of a small limited number of training sessions and every trainer works all day to give the same talk three or four times. Our training program provides what we think people really want: the freedom to choose what kind of training they want from an incredible list of available choices. If you wanted a "Crash Course" on gangs, then this would be it.
There has never been a gang training conference where people can "specialize" in a wide variety of areas of expertise. So the 2026 NGCRC Gang Training Conference really is a "history making event". It allows persons to network with others in their special area of interests and it has the organizational strength of much diversity among the trainers. It also has curriculum materials that are truly "cutting-edge". No one else promises you NETWORKING RESULTS. We do, based on previous performance.
Obviously, no single person could ever attend each and every one of the many different sessions that will be available for the 2026 NGCRC 29th International Gang Specialist Training Program: one person has only 24 hours to spend in classroom training. There may be six or more different "sessions" being taught at the same time: you can only be in one place at one time. So make your session choices wisely by studying the huge curriculum.
CONFERENCE REGISTRATION OPTIONS:
Trainees can register for Non-Certification or they can register for Certification. Both of these registration options are explained below.
Non-Certification: This option is for those who do not need a transcript to be maintained of their training experience and who do not desire a high quality certificate in an upward path of gang specialist training. This option is best for those who just want to attend, get the training materials, and be free to come and go as they wish. Trainees are eligible to receive 24 hours of on-site training during the conference. Please note that if you register for non-certification you do not receive any certificates of your training. Non-certification trainees do receive the same high quality set of take home training materials as those who register for Certification. Persons registering for non-certification are allowed to "upgrade" their registration to Certification; please inquire in writing about this procedure.
Certification: The certification is provided by the National Gang Crime Research Center, the premier gang research organization in the world, founded in 1990 it publishes the only professional international refereed journal about gangs (the Journal of Gang Research), it does extensive research on gangs, and it has a strong positive track record for providing high quality training on gang issues. TheJournal of Gang Research has 30+ years of gang research publishing experience and as the Official Publication of the NGCRC it is abstracted in the Psychological Abstracts, Criminal Justice Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, Social Service Abstracts, and other international organizations that recognize professional journals. For more information about the accomplishments of the NGCRC, see its webpage information (www.ngcrc.com). The NGCRC was given much positive attention in the November/December 2002 (No. 67) National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) Catalog, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs as a source of useful information on gangs (pp. 15, 17; this is not "advertising", because the NGCRC reports it recommended at our Web site were not government-funded and the NGCRC is not government funded, thus it is simply achieved positive recognition.
There are a number of different choices for a person seeking certification. You must select ONE of these areas of specialization for your own designated track when you register for certification.
When you register for certification, you select one "track" as your primary interest area. Your "track" is like your "major" in college. You must spend at least four hours in sessions designated for your "track". The other 20 hours of training are "electives": spend that time in any session you want to attend.
When you register for certification you receive two professionally printed color certificates of high display quality reflecting your training. One of these certificates reflects the completion of the 2021 Training Program (acknowleging you have completed 24 hours of training while in Chicago); and the second certificate reflects your specialized training in your chosen track area (acknowledging that you have completed a minimum of four hours of training in this track area). Those registering for non-certification do not receive such certificates.
The certificate we offer is designed for the gang specialist. The gang specialist is a person who works in the fields of expertise in the track areas and who deals in some way with the gang problem. The certificate we offer is not designed for the general public as a route to being employed in any of these track areas. The NGCRC training is not like the "Gangs 101" training offered by a local police or corrections training academy. The NGCRC training is more cerebral, it is more appreciative of criminological research and it is recognizes that sworn personnel can integrate with civilian specialists in the learning environment. The NGCRC does not solicit attendance from the general public. Rather the NGCRC explicitly reaches out to those persons working in a variety of professions that deal with the gang problem (law enforcement, county jail, county adult and juvenile probation officers, state prison and parole staff, prosecutors, public school safety/SRO staff, etc.
While there is no educational requirement or prerequisite to receive NGCRC training, the NGCRC does not promise that by receiving its certificates that it would be a key to the door of a job in any profession. Mostly professionals attend NGCRC training, people with college degrees of some sort. We get a number of Ph.D.'s who attend the training. And of course we receive a number of people with less than two years of college or university training. There is much occupational and educational diversity among the trainees who attend the NGCRC training conference. Our ideal trainer is not just a published professional, but also a pioneer and recognized leader in his/her field.
Some Q & A About the NGCRC Gang Training Conference:
Q: Is the NGCRC an anti-hate organization?
A: Yes, we have a special training track dedicated to this issue and it is called "Hate Group/White Racist Extremist Gangs". The NGCRC carries out research on the issue and publishes information about the role of hate and how to develop policies that effectively monitor and reduce hate crime in its journal, the Journal of Gang Research, now in its 30th year of publication as a professional quarterly journal. The NGCRC is an anti-hate organization.
Q: I see a lot of your presenters have Ph.D.'s or are lawyers with the JD degree, do you have to have a graduate degree to teach for the NGCRC?
A: No, but we prefer that our presenters be published professionals. The NGCRC
recruits presenters who are highly qualified to speak to whatever subject matter
their presentation focuses on.
Q: If I sign up for the eveing ride-alongs with the Chicago Police Department, do those hours count towards my required 24 hours for cerification?
A: No, but you will be enriched by the rewarding experience.
Q: I see from reading the "comments" from persons who have previously completed NGCRC training events that they describe the NGCRC conference as being "very organized" and "well planned", can you tell me next year's dates so I can start filling out the paper work now?
A: Yes, just call the NGCRC and ask, 708 258-9111
Q: What distinguishes the NGCRC from other providers of gang training services?
A: The NGCRC has over 30 years of service to the American criminal justice system (law enforcement, adult and juvenile corrections, prosecution, probation, etc); the NGCRC has a legacy of carrying out large scale gang research projects of much import and usefulness to the criminal justice system and schools, communities; the NGCRC has a remarkable and unparalleled history of publishing and disseminating useful information about dealing with the gang problem through the Journal of Gang Research (the official publication of the NGCRC) and The Gang Specialist newspaper we distribute free of charge; the NGCRC has a high level of accountability, each attendee has a lengthy evaluation form which becomes the transcript and official record of their attendance at any NGCRC training event; there is an NGCRC management and planning committee that reviews these annual evaluations for the purpose of improving operations and for feedback to specific presenters (an SPSS statistical analysis is made of the evaluation data and presenter feedback is provided to presenters, while general feedback is reported in full at the NGCRC website); the NGCRC is highly organized and leaves little to chance, the most important functions at the NGCRC conference are directly supervised by NGCRC staff who are also on one of the Conference Management Committees, examples include the networking receptions which typically have the same experienced professional and courteous staff from one year to the next, this provides continuity in supervision over a span of years, so these NGCRC staff have no learning curve to face, they know what they are doing, and they know how to do it.
Q: Does the NGCRC Provide Any Help on Parking?
A: The NGCRC lacks that ability. Parking can cost over $72 day (overnight) if you park at the hotel. Fact: There is no cheap parking in Chicago. The NGCRC has no control or authority over parking costs in Chicago. Nor can the NGCRC endorse any of the number of different I-phone and Android apps (e.g., "spothero") that claim to find you and guarantee you affordable parking. The City of Chicago Parking Garages are known to have the most competitive rates. Good website to find parking as close as next door to the hotel at the Water Tower Place: www.chicagoparkingmap.com
Q: Any special advice for people who are considering making a presentation at the NGCRC Conference?
A: At the start of your session, right after giving the title slide to your Power Point presentation, give an OUTLINE slide. This way attendees will know what will and what will not be covered in your session. This way they cannot complain the title does not match your content. Beware of Receiving the Criticism that Your Title Does Not Match Your Session Content. Target harden your session against this potential criticism by having an outline that corresponds to the structure an content of your training goals. Consider putting handouts on a website or make available by request through email. A presenter could also insert the sentence at the end of his/her session: "Attendees at this session will be provided online access or an emailed version of the hand-outs shortly after the conference if they request it while attending the session and completing the sign-in sheet email-handout request form inside the presenters training room.
Q: How do I pick my courses, how do I pick what sessions I should attend?
A: You will have an evaluation form where you check off how much time you spent at the conference, and in which sessions. If you are registered for certification, then You need to log in (accumulate) four (N = 4) hours in your track area, and another 20 hours so that you have a total of N = 24 hours logged in during the three day conference. If you have a double major (two tracks), you need four hours minimum in each track, and then another 16 hours in any sessions you want to attend. The way to pick your classes is read the course listings (www.ngcrc.com/courses.html), you will notive that all sessions have a section called "Session Credits:" where the session lists the training tracks that it gives credit for. Look for sessions in your track area, you need a minimum of 4 hours in your track, the remaining 20 hours can be spent in your track or anywhere, it is your choice. You cannot attend all 100+ courses. You need to make a decision about what will help you the most. Do this by reading the session information (www.ngcrc.com/courses.html), then pick out 24 hours or so that you want to attend. Then go to the schedule and see if this works: www.ngcrc.com/schedule.html. If two of your choices are being taught at the same time, you have to pick one of them: most of the sessions or courses to not "repeat". You may need to go back to the session description information (www.ngcrc.com/courses.html) and pick a different session. Then check the schedule until you know you have a schedule that works for you.
CERTIFICATION UPGRADE:
This is applicable ONLY for those who have previously received certification from the NGCRC. The NGCRC provides for Certification Upgrades as explained here, free, automatically when you indicate your previous certification training with the NGCRC.
The registration form asks if you have completed prior Certification Training with the NGCRC. If you have, then you are eligible for a Certification Upgrade, so fill this out on the registration form. This Certification Upgrade procedure recognizes the cumulative nature of training over time (1997-present).
The intermediate, advanced, expert, professional, and master levels of certification therefore recognize this prior NGCRC training. The Basic Training Program is for those persons who have completed no prior certification with the NGCRC. When you register for Certification, you receive two certificates: one in your area of specialization, and one reflecting your level of Certification. The levels of certification are explained below.
If you have previously obtained Certification from the NGCRC, then you are eligible for a Certification Upgrade to one of the following options:
Intermediate Level Training Program: completed 24 hours of prior certification with NGCRC.
Advanced Level Training Program: completed 48 hours of prior certification with NGCRC.
Expert Level Training Program: completed 72 hours of prior certification with NGCRC.
Trainer/Consultant Level Training Program: completed 96 hours of prior certification with the NGCRC.
Master
Level 1 (First Degree) Training Program: completed 120 hours of prior certification
with the NGCRC.
Master Level 2 (Second Degree) Training Program: completed 144 hours of prior certification with the NGCRC.
Master Level 3 (Third Degree) Training Program: completed 168 hours of prior certification with
the NGCRC.
Master Level 4 (Fourth Degree) Training Program: completed 192 hours of prior certification
with the NGCRC.
Master Level 5 (Fifth Degree) Training Program: completed 216 hours of prior certification with the NGCRC.
Master
Level 6 (Sixth Degree) Training Program: completed 240 hours of prior certification
with the NGCRC.
Master Level 7 (Seventh Degree) Training Program: completed 264 hours of prior certification with the NGCRC.
Master Level 8 (Eighth Degree) Training Program: completed 288 hours of prior certification with the NGCRC.
Master Level 9 (Ninth Degree) Training Program: completed 312 hours of prior certification with the NGCRC.
Master Level 10 (Tenth Degree) Training Program: completed 336 hours of prior certification with the NGCRC.
Professional Level 1 (First Degree) Training Program: completed 360 hours of prior certification with the NGCRC.
Professional Level 2 (Second Degree) Training Program: completed 384 hours of prior certification with the NGCRC
Professional Level 3 (Third Degree) Training Program: completed 408 hours of prior certification with the NGCRC
Professional Level 4 (Fourth Degree) Training Program: Completed 432 hours of prior certification with the NGCRC
Professional Level 5 (Fifth Degree) Training Program: Completed 456 hours of prior certification with the NGCRC
Professional Level 6 (Sixth Degree) Training Program: Completed 456 hours of prior certification with the NGCRC
Professional Level 7 (Seventh Degree) Training Program: Completed 480 hours of prior certification with the NGCRC
Professional Level 8 (Eighth Degree) Training Program: Completed 504 hours of prior certification with the NGCRC
Professional Level 9 (Ninth Degree) Training Progarm: Completed 528 hours of prior certification with the NGCRC
Professional Level 10 (Tenth Degree) Training Program: Completed 552 hours of prior certification with the NGCRC
CERTIFICATION
OPTIONS: Those who register for certification receive two high quality
certificates reflecting their training. Those who register for non-certification
receive no certificate. However, those who register for non-certification are
eligible to upgrade to full certification anytime prior to the conference itself,
just pay the $100 additional cost.
- - -
Upgrade from Non-Certification to Full Certification Form
My name is:_______________________________________________________________
I am already registered for Non-Certification. I wish to change my registration to full Certification.
My training track will be:______________________________________________________
I enclose $100.00 to upgrade my registration to full Certification.
You can also just pay for this On Site at the conference.
Upgrade from Non-Certification to Certification is available only on or before August 5, 2026.
It cannot be done after the date at which the conference officially ends.
Mail this form to: NGCRC, Conference Processing Center, PO Box 990, Peotone, IL 60468
PAYMENT METHOD: We prefer checks or money orders for payment. No personal checks will be accepted for on-site payment of conference registration fees. We do accept credit card payments.
_____Payment enclosed in check or money order made payable to "National Gang Crime Research Center"
_____VISA, MasterCard, American Express or Discover (Circle one).
Card number:________________________________________________________________________________
Expiration date: Month___________________________ Year:_______________________ CVC# On card:______
Name on card: (printed):___________________________________________________________________
Telephone of card holder in case we need to call:_________________________________________________
Your Signature:________________________________ Amount you authorize to charge (total):__$______________
Billing
Address for the card holder(Printed): (street address)__________________________________________________________
Zip Code for the Billing Address:__________________________________
You can email this form to: gangcrime@aol.com
You can fax this form to: (708) 258-9546
- - -
When registering for certification, the trainee selects one special "track" from the available list. What this means is that the trainee must spend at least four (4) hours in attending sessions designed for that specific "track"; the remaining twenty (20) hours can be used attending anything the trainee wants to attend.
Select Your Certification Specialty Choice From a List of Different Options (Training Tracks):
Those who register for certification receive two high quality 8 ½" x 11" certificates reflecting their training. The certificates carry the seal of the National Gang Crime Research Center. If you register for certification, then you receive two certificates (1) one reflects that you completed the NGCRC's 2026 program consisting of 24 hours of intensive training, and (2) the second certificate reflects that you completed a minimum of four hours in a specialized topical area, i.e., your "track". Those who register for non-certification do not receive any certificates. Registering for non-certification is cheaper. However, those who register for non-certification are eligible to upgrade their enrollment to full certification on or before July 15, 2026, just pay the extra $100 additional cost accompanied with the "Upgrade to Certification" form. The NGCRC conference does attract head hunters and administrators who may not necessarily need or want certification. But if you ever anticipate the need to provide quality proof of your training, you probably want to sign up for certification. When registering for certification, you need to select ONE (1) of the special gang certification training tracks from the available list. There are over 30 options on the list. You need to pick one. What this means is that the trainee must spend at least four (4) hours in attending sessions designed for that specific "track", and the remaining twenty (20) hours can be used attending anything the trainee wants to attend.
SPECIAL TRAINING TRACKS: Several specialized training tracks exist for those registering for Certification. The trainee receives a second certificate for the one area of chosen concentration, reflecting an intensive 4-hour minimum training requirement that is fulfilled during regular training sessions at the conference. A trainee registering for Certification must pick ONE of the specialized training track options. Current areas for choices in the specialized training tracks include the following options:
(1) Gang Crime Investigation Skills Track
(2) Dealing With Gang Members in Probation/Parole Track
(3) Gang Homicide Investigation Skills Track
(4) Gangs and Drugs Track
(5) Gang Problems in K-12 Schools Track
(6) Gangs and Organized Crime
(7) Gangs and Mental Health Track
(8) Gang Interview/Interrogation Skills Track
(9) Gang Internet Investigation
(10) Management Skills for Gang Outreach, Prevention, and Intervention Services Track
(11) Gang Outreach and Intervention Skills Track
(12) Management and Supervision Skills for Gang Specialists
(13) Corrections Gang/STG Intelligence Track
(14) Domestic Counter-Terrorism Skills Track
(15) Motorcycle Gangs (restricted: for Criminal Justice Personnel only)
(16) Dealing With Gangs in Juvenile Correctional Facilities
(17) Gang and Violence Prevention Skills for School Administrators
(18) Gang Counseling Skills Track
(19) Advanced Gang Identification
(20) Gang Profile Analysis Track
(21) Gang Prosecution Track
(22) Gang Prevention Skills Track
(23) International and Transnational Gang Problems Track
(24) Hate Groups/White Racist Extremist Gangs Track
(25) Officer Safety Skills in Dealing With Gangs Track
(26) Asian Gangs and High Tech Crime Track
(27) Gangs and the Mass Media Track
(28) Graffiti Identification and Analysis Track
(29) Faith-Based Programs for Gang Intervention Track
(30) Gang Victim, Witness, and Survivor Services Track
Please note: you have the option to delay making a decision about your track by just marking your form "TBA" where it asks for your track name, and this will be treated as "To Be Announced", and you have until July 15, 2026 to actually make up your mind about what track you want to have.
Also, you can change your "Track" at anytime on or before July 15, 2026. To change your track, just fax a memo to that effect to the NGCRC Conference Registration Center: (708) 258-9546.
You can also send us an email at: gangcrime@aol.com
There is no charge for changing your track. Just use the form below.
- - - - - -
CHANGE OF TRACK FORM:
My name is:______________________________________________________________________
Please change my track from _________________________________ to _________________________________
Thank you.
Send this form so it arrives at the NGCRC on or before June 30th, 2026.
Mail: NGCRC, PO Box 990, Peotone, IL 60468
Email: gangcrime@aol.com
Fax: 708 258-9546
- - - - - - - - -
Cancellation, Refunds, and Replacements Policy:
If you cancel on or before May 21, 2026, and the cancellation form is received on or before May 21, 2026, all of your registration fee minus the $75 cancellation fee will be refunded to you (refund checks are mailed out approximately 2 weeks AFTER the conference is over with).
If
you cancel on or after May 22, 2026 and the cancellation form is received by
the NGCRC on or before June 21, 2026, you are entitled to a refund in the amount
of half (50%) of the registration fee, minus the $75 cancellation fee as well;
refund checks are mailed out approximately 2 weeks AFTER the conference is over
with.
Note: After 6-22-2026 there are no longer any refunds allowed. No-shows are non-refundable. We cannot be responsible for any transportation problems you had.
Note: It is not an affirmative defense to say you had trouble with our fax machine getting your
cancellation form submitted "on time". You need to be using the United States Postal Service as
your primary vehicle of notification, so that it has an official "time and date" stamp on it. If you
are "late" with regard to dates for cancelling, then late means the terms and conditions apply.
There are no exceptions to the terms and conditions for cancellation and refunds and
replacements as listed here.
Note: You can "swap" or replace someone for a paid position. There is no additional cost for replacements. Just make sure you promptly do this on agency stationary and get it faxed and mailed in ASAP. Names associated with any NGCRC voucher for future training can also be easily changed by simple written request from an agency or individual.
As always the NGCRC will provide prompt refunds in cases where a trainee must cancel and contacts us to that effect, with sufficient advance notice, before the conference. However, because I.D.'s, credentials, and materials have already been prepared at time of the receipt of registration, and other related expenses will have already been incurred by the NGCRC on behalf of the registered trainee, a $75.00 fee will be assessed for any cancellation. If you need to cancel your registration, therefore, the NGCRC is responsible only for your registration fee refund minus the $75.00 cancellation fee. Further, there is a long-standing policy in a number of organizations providing training such as this to limit the amount of the refund: thus, if the cancellation request is received on or before May 21st, 2026, we will refund the entire registration fee minus the $75 cancellation fee.
However, if the cancellation request is received after May 22, 2026 and on or before June 21st, 2026 only 50% of the amount will be refundable (minus the additional $75 cancellation fee); and if the cancellation request is received on or after June 22nd, 2026, there are no refunds allowed. There are no special exceptions such as health, sickness, court duty, etc. It is important that you follow the format of the cancellation request: the cancellation request must be in writing, a phone call will not suffice; the written request must be mailed to the NGCRC, PO Box 990, Peotone, IL 60468; and please fax us a copy as well (708) 258-9546, in the request please state who we should make the refund check payable to. No cancellations will be accepted by Email service or over the internet: U.S. Postal Service and fax are the two methods you need to use.
Replacements: replacements are allowed at any time. Should someone who has been registered for the conference be unable to attend, the agency may send a replacement at no extra cost. However, if you intend to do this, please notify us in writing so that the notice is received one week in advance to be able to have the proper ID Badge ready at time of registration. If you wait until the last minute, then it is still possible to send a replacement: but we would have to make their ID BADGE on-site at the Conference location. If you do want to send a replacement, kindly fax that request to (708) 258-9546 and follow-up with a phone call to (708) 258-9111. On-site replacements are also allowed.
The NGCRC refund policy supercedes any credit card policy if the person so registered for the
conference has paid conference fees by means of a credit card.
No-Shows Non-Refundable: Those who are registered, but do not show up for the conference are not eligible for a refund.
- - - - -
CANCELLATION AND REFUND REQUEST FORM:
Please Print and Execute this Refund Form if you Want a Refund:
REFUND FORM:
My name is _________________________ Today’s date is _______ . I paid $_______ for registration for the NGCRC's 2026 Twenty Nineth Gang Specialist Training Program, and I will not be able to attend, and I am requesting a refund.
I
understand that if this form is received by the NGCRC before May 21st, 2026
I am entitled to a full refund minus the $75 cancellation fee.
I understand if the cancellation request is received after May 22nd, 2026
and on or before June 21st, 2026 only 50% of the amount will be refundable (minus
the $75 cancellation fee); and if the cancellation request is received on
or after June 22nd, 2026, there are no refunds allowed
Please make the refund check payable to _________________________
Mail it to:__________________________________________________
Note: Refund Form must be “received” by fax or U.S. Postal Service on or before designated eligibility dates.
- - - - -
After June 22nd, 2026 no
REFUNDS ARE ALLOWED. However, you can have a free "replacement". Just complete
the replacement form provided here.
Replacement and Cancellation Form
Name of registration being cancelled:_____________________________________________
Name of Replacement for the above cancellation:____________________________________
Attach new registration form for the replacement and fax this on your letterhead to NGCRC: (708) 258-9546
- - - - - -
POLICY WITH REGARD TO ON-SITE REGISTRATIONS:
1. Please beware that the NGCRC may not accept your on-site registration due to a lack of space (it is expected that the registrations will close early this year just as it has in previous years. One of the things the NGCRC does is prepare a very elaborate and valuable "goody bag" for all persons attending the conference, and we spend a great deal of effort and manpower in preparing exactly the number of bags needed. We cannot create more bags for unexpected “new arrivals”. If you are planning on registering onsite, even for a one day pass, you should call in advance to make sure we have room.
2. Everyone who is registered for this conference receives POSITIVE PROOF of their registration in the form of a confirmation letter from the NGCRC. If you have never received one of these letters from the NGCRC confirming your registration for the conference, then it is clear: you may not be registered for the conference.
3. Because of past abuses: the NGCRC will no longer accept promises of payment from agencies or individuals on-site. You will not be able to show up with a Purchase Order and register onsite.
4. There is asolutely no guarantee of available space for those who may want - - - at the last moment - - - to register "on site".
5. Typically, registration closes early before the conference.
ADVANCE OR PRE-REGISTRATION PROCEDURE:
Those persons who have previously attended the NGCRC training conference are always provided the first or earlier opportunity to sign up for the 2026 NGCRC Conference. The NGCRC allows advance or pre-registration for its training conferences. The sign-up mechanism is included in the Conference Evaluation Form. For example, anyone attending the 2026 NGCRC Conference can pre-register for the next year's conference using the official conference evaluation form itself. See the 2026 Conference Evaluation Form, question #129 on page 6 at the website: https://ngcrc.com/evaluationform.pdf
REGISTRATION COSTS:
Note that the cost schedule refers to when exactly the payment is actually made for the training registration. There have been no increases in costs for the NGCRC Training Conference; the costs for 2026 remain the same as in 2025.
Note that the amount to pay for registration is the amount for the time period at which point the registration form is received by the NGCRC and processed.
Thus the earlier the registration is processed the cheaper the registration cost. This sliding scale provides an incentive to register early in case "slots" for the training conference fill up early; as we do expect them to fill up early; we may at some point therefore not accept additional registrations if space is filled. Watch this Website for the notice of whether slots are available.
ADVANCE REGISTRATION PERIODS:
Paying on or before November 30, 2025: Non-Certification $400, Certification $450
Paying on or after December 1, 2025 and on or before December 31, 2025: Non-Certification $450, Certificatin $500
EARLY REGISTRATION PERIODS:
Paying on or after January 1, 2026 and on or before January 31, 2026: Non-Certification $500, Certification $550
Paying on or after February 1, 2026 and on or before February 28, 2026: Non-Certification $550, Certification $600
Paying on or after March 1, 2026 and on or before March 31, 2026: Non-Certification $600, Certification $650
REGULAR REGISTRATION PERIODS:
Paying on or after April 1, 2026 and on or before April 30, 2026: Non-Certification $650, Certification $700
Paying on or after May 1, 2026 and on or before May 31, 2026: Non-Certification $700, Certification $750
Paying on or after June 1, 2026 and on or before June 30, 2026: Non-Certification $750, Certification $800
LATE REGISTRATION PERIOD:
Paying on or after July 1, 2026 and on or before July 31, 2026: Non-Certification $800, Certification $850
LAST MINUTE AND ONSITE REGISTRATION: A "last minute" or Onsite Registration is any registration made on or after August 1, 2026.
Paying On-Site (If slots are available): Non-Certification $950, Certification $1000
Last minute registrations must be paid up at the time of registration. There is no guarantee that actual "on site" registration slots will be available. In 2023 and in 2024 registrations closed a couple weeks before the conference.
Special Notice on On-Site Registration: (1) it is best that you get an advance "approval" from the NGCRC for any intention of trying to register for on-site registration, this is true for several reasons, including the lack of space, (2) because space is limited and we will not admit you automatically you are urged to notify the NGCRC in writing of your intent to register on-site, further that the NGCRC have this notification on or before July 15, (3) get your "clearance code" to register on-site, as we cannot guarantee any space available for "walkins".
Multiple Registration and Coupon Discounts:
Any agency registering three persons, simultaneously, is eligible for a $100 discount off the total training cost (by which we mean a $33.33 discount for each of the three). Additional discounts would apply for those agencies registering four or more persons (simultaneously) for training (inquire in advance of registering). An agency registering more than three persons, simultaneously, will qualify for a Group Discount Code if and only if it is applied for before actually registering. Call the National Gang Crime Research Center to inquire about group rates (708 258-9111) for group sizes >= 4. The Group Discount Code provides a sliding-scale group rate discount. There is no retroactive value: if you do not apply for a Group Discount Code in advance of registration then you are not eligible for it. The Group Discount Code does not work with "coupons": you need to use one discount option (group discount or coupon discount). You cannot use both. Printed coupons always have an "expiration" date, they would need to be used on or before the expiration date on the coupon.
Every registration form has a section towards the end for Group Discount Code. You can write in the Group Discount Code section: "GS3" if you are registering three persons simultaneously, just take off the $33.33 for the total amount being paid on each of the 3 forms. You would need to call in to the NGCRC to get a discount code for any group size >= 4.
EXHIBITORS:
Various exhibitors are expected at the Conference, including books, materials about gangs. If you are a company that wants to exhibit, call the NGCRC for details, (708) 258-9111. Vendors are not allowed to attend training sessions. Vendors get about 20 hours of exhibit time (from 9am Monday until noon Wednesday).
PICKING UP YOUR REGISTRATION MATERIALS:
Trainees need to pick up their registration materials, these include: I.D. Badge, Evaluation Form, Conference Proceedings, and related materials distributed to trainees. You pick up your registration materials at the Training Site: the hotel, ask for the NGCRC Operations Center room, or follow conspicuously posted signage.
Trainees may pick up their registration materials during the evening of Sunday, August 2, 2026. That is early registration. This will start at 3:00 p.m. and last until 10:00 p.m.
Trainees may also pick up their registration materials during the early morning registration period (starting at 6:00 a.m. on Monday August 3, 2026). That is the regular registration.
Trainees may also pick up their registration materials at any time during the training schedule by coming to the Operations Room at the Training Site. That would cover anyone arriving for late registration.
THE REGULAR TRAINING TIME SCHEDULE
Here is the Monday (August 3, 2026), Tuesday (August 4, 2026), Wednesday (August 5, 2026) training schedule (August 3 - August 5, 2026): training sessions 8:00 am-noon, 1 hour lunch break, training sessions 1:00 pm-5:00 pm. Some social events occur in the evening hours as well. Thus, a total of 24 training hours are logged in during the regular training schedule. We do, of course, offer "pre-conference" sessions for credit (on Sunday afternoon: mostly for those new to gang training). The full schedule is provided at: https://www.ngcrc.com/schedule.html
Some evening functions (after 5:00 p.m.) are also going to be scheduled. There are also "early riser" sessions: for those who want a session before 8am. There will even be "noon sessions": we are doing this to accommodate travel arrangements where persons may arrive late, or where they may have to leave the training site to return early. Dress code: informal. All training rooms are airconditioned.
Enhancements --- EARLY, NOON, and EVENING SESSIONS:
To accommodate those individuals who want to leave early on Wednesday August 5th (2026), and still allow them to accumulate their 24 hours of training, we are this year planning to offer some early morning, lunch time, and evening sessions. The current plan is to have a few such sessions available for this purpose. This will provide at least four (4) hours of training outside of the regular training schedule, which will allow persons who need to leave at noon on Wednesday to do so.
Rooms are available at the Hotel at the same rate for Friday nights and Saturday as well, at the same rates, if anyone is interested in getting cheaper flights by staying an extra day or so: just ask the hotel registration personnel. You should be able to get the same rate for two days prior and two days after the August 3 - August 5, 2026 time frame. If you have trouble with the hotel, feel free to call the NGCRC and ask for the "hotel liaison" to see if there is anything we can do to help. Sometimes the "block of bumper rooms" sells out (bumper rooms are those before and after the conference).
You basically "pick and choose" your own custom-made training schedule. You can take your pick from a number of different session choices. There are typically six or seven sessions going on at any particular time. So, you just "vote with your feet". The full schedule of courses by room numbers, and day/time slots will be posted at this website prior to the conference. You can therefore study it and more effectively use your training time prior to arrival.
DRESS CODE:
We have had a number of questions about "dress code" from persons registered to attend the conference. We can clarify this now: there is no dress code. Dress casual, it is summer time. If you want to dress more formally, that's okay too. Your laminated military-style identification badge for the conference gives you access to the building locations you need access to.
USE OF COMMUNICATION DEVICES AND MATERIALS AT THE NGCRC GANG TRAINING CONFERENCE: SPECIFIC RESTRICTIONS AND SPECIFIC PROHIBITIONS
1. BACKGROUND
The National Gang Crime Research Center's annual gang specialist training
conferences often relate sensitive information and/or data via various forms of
communication, and are attended by undercover officers.
2. DEFINITIONS
A. Communication Devices: Are defined as digital or film cameras, digital or videotape
recorders, digital or tape voice recorders, cellular telephones capable of transmitting
visual images or recording audio memos, and apparatuses capable of transmitting or
recording textual messages.
B. Materials: Are defined as any spoken words of an instructor, any MS PowerPoint
slides, any photocopied handouts, any official and unofficial publications, and the visual
identity (facial recognition) of any undercover agents.
C. Originator: Is defined as the person, persons, organization, or agency responsible
for the authorship (i.e., preparation, presentation, publication, and/or utterance) of any
of the above materials.
3. POLICY
This policy is, therefore, established for the use and protection of the aforementioned.
A. Communication devices capable of recording are prohibited from use within the
training area--noting the following.
(1) Except as employed by NGCRC staff or security personnel.
(2) Except as authorized by the NGCRC Director or Security Staff Chief.
B. Communication devices capable of transmission are prohibited from use within the
training area--noting the following.
(1) Except as necessary to remain in contact for official business related to one's employment.
(2) Cellular telephones and pagers may remain on, but must be set at the least
distractive alert setting possible [such as "vibrate"].
(3) All conversation or messaging will be conducted in the hallways and not in
classrooms during class sessions.
C. An originator's written permission must be obtained before quoting, paraphrasing, or
otherwise referencing any portion of the above-mentioned materials under the following conditions.
(1) When within any journalistic context.
(2) When within any mass media context.
(3) When within any proceedings of an official nature
4. VIOLATIONS
Any
violations of this policy shall be grounds for immediate and permanent expulsion
of said persons violating this policy from the conference.
The Gang Prevention - Intervention - Counseling Networking Reception:
(52) “Gang Prevention - Intervention - Counseling Networking Reception”.
This is hosted by NGCRC Staff.
One (1) hour
Special Note: 5pm-6pm, Monday, August 3, 2026. You need a ticket for the event, you get the ticket by signing up for it on your registration form. The ticket will be waiting for you in your registration packet you receive when you pick up your conference ID credentials.
Session Credits: Management and Supervision Skills for Gang Specialists; Gang Counseling Skills; Gang Prevention Skills; Gang Problems in K-12 Schools; Gangs and Mental Health.
Special Procedure for Sign Up: You need to check the “box” on your registration form in order to qualify to attend this event. It is a “ticketed” event. You get the ticket by signing up for it on the registration form itself or by using the ticket request form at the website, or by sending in a request to that effect..
Abstract
The gang intervention/prevention reception is a special event at the NGCRC and it has a long history of also being a valuable networking session. Come hear some analysis of the current state of affairs in gang prevention and learn about some people who are really making a difference in the world. This is also the time and venue in which the “NGCRC Spirit of Excellence Awards” are made. There are also door prizes in a random drawing based on your ticket to the event. You need to have a ticket to attend this event. The only way to get a ticket is to sign up for it in advance on the registration form itself. Or write to us before you get to the conference, the ticket and information needs to be placed inside your registration file folder.
Bios
NGCRC staff: Dr. Martha Wall-Whitfield (host) and TBA, NGCRC staff (co-host).
THE CHRISTIAN GANG SPECIALIST RECEPTION:
This is available only to persons registered for the conference. This will be held during an "off time" in the regular conference schedule (lunch time). If you answered "YES" to the question on your registration form "I am interested in networking with Christian gang specialists while at this conference", then your registration I.D. Package Folder contains a special ticket that allows you into this reception. If you answered "NO" or left the quastion blank, it was assumed you are not interested. If you fall into the latter category, the Session Attendance Simulation Survey will ask you a second time if you want to be added to the group of persons who will attend this special networking reception. As we need to plan on how many are attending, no "walk ins" will be allowed. And as is the NGCRC tradition, of course, there are "door prizes" at this reception.
The format this year will likely be a light luncheon format (we are still working out specific arrangements: so stay tuned to this website for further details and developments). As always, there is no extra "charge" for signing up for receptions that may also provide you with food, beverages, etc. It is something you are automatically entitled to as a part of your conference registration fee. We will modify this announcement as needed. The Christian Gang Specialist Networking Reception is scheduled for Noon, Tuesday, August 4, 2026. Door Prizes Provided.
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The Christian Gang Specialist Network Reception Ticket Request Form
I am registered for the Conference. Please Sign me up for the Christian Gang Specialist Network Reception.
Name:__________________________________________
Address:________________________________________
City, ST, ZIP:____________________________________
Fax and mail this to the NGCRC: Fax (708) 258-9546.
Mail: NGCRC, 2025 Conference Processing Center, PO Box 990, Peotone, IL 60468-0990
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Session Info:
(38) “The Christian Gang Specialist Reception”, by Martha Wall-Whitfield, Ph.D., Principal, Arkansas Juvenile Assessment and Treatment Center, Bryant, AR; and George Knox, NGCRC Staff.
One (1) hour
Note: this is scheduled for Tuesday, August 4, 2026, noon. It is a ticketed event, you need to sign up for it in advance on your registration form.
Session credits: Faith-Based Programs for Gang Intervention; Gang Prevention Skills; Gang Counseling Skills; Management Skills for Gang Outreach, Prevention, and Intervention Services; Gang Outreach and Intervention Skills.
Abstract
This is available only to persons registered for the conference. This will be held during the “lunch hour” (12pm - 1pm) on Tuesday, August 4th, 2026. If you answered "YES" to the question on your registration form "I am interested in networking with Christian gang specialists while at this conference", then you received a special TICKET inside your registration materials. If you answered "NO" or left the question blank, it was assumed you are not interested. If you would like to change your mind, then you must do so prior to showing up at the conference: you can do it simply by mailing the NGCRC Conference Processing Center a letter or memo to the effect “if I was listed as NO or BLANK for the Christian Gang Specialist Reception, I wish to modify my registration data to reflect the new code of YES for attending this gang specialist networking event”. As we need to plan on how many are attending, no "walk ins" will be allowed. And as is the NGCRC tradition, of course, there are "door prizes" at this reception. Come prepared for some amazing testimony. This is open to anyone for any certification or non-certification registration, you need not be signed up for the Faith Based Programs certification option to attend this session. The NGCRC has been doing the Christian Reception since 1997. It is part of the strong positive tradition of the NGCRC to provide unique training and networking opportunities to those who attend the NGCRC training conference. The hosts are NGCRC staff. The format this year will be a sandwich luncheon format with the opportunity to give testimony, door prizes, etc.
Bios
Dr. Martha Wall-Whitfield is an educator from Little Rock, Arkansas where she is currently the Founder and Principal of Legacy Christian Academy, a private Christian school for at-risk youth and kids from trauma. She was formerly the District Principal for all juvenile correctional facilities in the state of Arkansas and also served as Principal at the state’s largest juvenile facility for incarcerated youth for seven years. She has taught for over 16 years at the University level as an Assistant Professor for Averett University and as an Adjunct for Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Arkansas Little Rock, and Arkansas State University. Dr. Whitfield is a mom of five and a Mimi to five. She is active in both her church and the community as a foster and adoptive parent and foster parent trainer for the state.
George Knox earned his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago. He has extensive field experience with gangs, including interviewing gang members, gang leaders, and gang victims. He has taught in the field of criminal justice and sociology. He serves as the Executive Director of the National Gang Crime Research Center. He was the author of the first full textbook on gangs (An Introduction to Gangs) and other books and monographs on gang topics. His research interests include how to deal with gang problems in probation/parole, juvenile corrections, adult corrections, and gang threat analysis — examining the gang as a unit of social organization.
The Law Enforcement, Prosecution, Corrections Network Reception:
This is available only to persons who work in law enforcement, prosecution, or corrections agencies. How do you sign up? Through the Registration Form itself or use the special request form below. If you do, you are in and a ticket will be in your registration file folder when you arrive at the conference. No ticket, no entrance to the event.
Reception
Hosts: Ken Davis and Lt. Gregg Etter (Ret.), NGCRC Staff.
At this year's training conference we are sponsoring a "Agency Patch Exchange" within the networking function designed for corrections and law enforcement personnel. If you are interested, please secure some of your agency's patches and bring them with you. We will have a time set aside for this at the Corrections/Law Enforcement Network function. So bring your appetite and your patches and have a great time! As always, there is no extra "charge" for signing up for receptions that may also provide you with food, beverages, etc. It is something you are automatically entitled to as a part of your conference registration fee.
You need to bring agency identification (B's and C's: badges and credentials)
in addition to your ticket to the event.
And as is the NGCRC tradition, of course, there are "door prizes" at this reception. The Corrections/Law Enforcement Reception is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, August 4, 2026.
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The Corrections/Law Enforcement Network Reception Ticket Request Form
I work in Law Enforcement, Prosecution, or Corrections. Please Sign me up for the Law Enforcement, Prosecution, Corrections Network Reception.
Name:__________________________________________
Address:________________________________________
City, ST, ZIP:____________________________________
Fax and mail this to the NGCRC: Fax (708) 258-9546.
Mail: NGCRC, 2025 Conference Processing Center, PO Box 990, Peotone, IL 60468-0990
- - - --
CODE FOR THE LAMINATED MILITARY-STYLE IDENTIFICATION BADGES USED AT THIS CONFERENCE:
Some badges have unique identifiers that will help you. Watch for these.
A RED star on the Identification Badge indicates someone on the NGCRC's Goodwill Ambassador Staff; they also wear special easily identifiable uniforms; see them if you have any issue, or to report any problems with equipment inside the training rooms.
A BLUE star on the Identification Badge indicates someone who is a trainer or presenter. These are certainly people you need to network with.
A PLATINUM star on the Identification Badge indicates the person is a current or former Reviewing Editor of the Journal of Gang Research, the official publication of the NGCRC.
A GREEN star on the Identification Badge indicates someone who works for the NGCRC: these are NGCRC staff, they can HELP YOU; ask them if you have any questions.
A GOLD star on the Identification Badge indicates someone who is receiving a Thrasher Award this year at the Awards Ceremony.
Some Typical Questions and Answers:
Q: This is a lot of information, is there anything short and sweet, like a 6-page brochure I can print off from a PDF file? I just need a short summary to show my training supervisor.
A: Click here for the Six Page Brochure Version in PDF Format. Or navigate to: https://ngcrc.com/brochure.pdf
Q: Can I spend more than four (4) hours in my track area?
A: Yes, of course, if your track area, for example is "Gang Crime Investigation Skills" or "Gang Prevention Skills", then you are going to find you have a heck of a lot of choices; you may be able to log in 24 hours directly in your area of concentration (e.g., your track area).
Q: We have 24 hours of training, and if 4 of those hours have to be in the courses specifically approved for the track, then what do I do for the other 20 hours?
A: The other 20 hours are electives: you can spend then anyway you want to, vote with your feet: if you are eligible to attend a session, then attend it. Remember and please note that some sessions are restricted to law enforcement. But most are not restricted. You can attend anything you want to attend.
Q: Can the NGCRC guarantee that I will be able to attend everything I want to attend?
A: No, and obviously not for the simple reason that most of these courses are NOT REPEATED; the courses are offered once and that is it; you have to make HARD CHOICES between 2 or 3 or more different courses, all of which are attractive --- and so, like we said before one person could never attend all of the courses we offer. We have at least six or seven courses going on at once: these are not repeating courses. If you want to attend two sessions that are going on simultaneously, then you would have to decide which you wanted most. Plan B: split your time between two equally attractive courses.
Q: What is the seating style at the NGCRC conference, are there desks to write on?
A: There are no desks to write on, that is often called "student style
seating". We use what is called "auditorium style seating". You
get a chair, but no table to write on. You might want to consider bringing your
posse box to have on your lap, so you can write on that. We do no have desktops
to write on.
Q: Do you have to be a returning participant with certification to attend this conference for certification?
A: No.
Q: When I see the NGCRC Training Conference referred to as "Gang College", does that phrase mean that the training converts to, or is equivalent in any respect to, college credit towards a college or university degree program?
A: No. The NGCRC has in its two decades of experience in training actually embedded the opportunity to complete college or university credit as a supplemental part of the training program, but we found that there was very little interest in that option, and we have not offered the college credit option for years. Do some professors who work with the NGCRC offer partial course credit, for example towards some college credit course, yes, that is certainly possible, but it would not be open to the public, it would be available only at the local college or university in question; it is not something you can sign up for with the regular registration application form. The NGCRC continues to work with a number of faculty members from different institutions of higher learning where criminal justice students are provided an opportunity to attend the NGCRC training conference. Has the NGCRC offered CEU's (Continuing Education Units) for some of its courses in the overall training program, yes, but we make no guarantee of offering this because again we found that few people wanted to take advantage of this enhancement option. Does the NGCRC training program include "cross training" by other accrediting bodies, yes, the Mental Health First Aid course would be a good example of this. The NGCRC cannot assure you that you will ever be able to receive college credit of any kind for the training it offers.
Q: What is the seating style, student seating with tables, or theater style?
A: The seating style is threater style. No tables to write on. You can bring a clip board or writing tablet to make it easier to take notes while seated in a chair.
Q: I hear a lot of the hotels in Chicago require a deposit for "incidentals"?
A: Yes, Chicago is a big city, big city hotels do this. Incidentals refers to phone calls, room service, the liquors/goodies in the fridge. You can always tell the front desk they can take out the phone and the fridge and make a note that there will be no room service for your room.
Q: I am a defense attorney or journalist, can I attend and exploit your environment for my personal benefit?
A: No. We rent out the entire floors of training rooms to make sure we have full control of who even can enter our floors and walk in the halls and exhibit areas. We have security to enforce the policy that to be on our training floors you need to have Official NGCRC Conference Identification --- it is a military style laminated badge that must be worn at all times while in conference areas or conference training rooms. We advise you to remove and conceal your ID badge if you are leaving the building for any reason. Bring it with if you are going to a store or restaurant that gives a discount for NGCRC attendees.
Q: Do you need to have any specific educational qualifications to attend this conference?
A: No (but you must be 18 years of age or older at the time you register).
Q: Are some of the sessions restricted in attendance?
A: Yes, a few are. The course listings provide that information, if they say they are restricted it will specifically say that in writing and specify the nature of the restriction, for example if a session says "Attendance Restrictd to Police Only" that means you need to be a police officer to attend.
Q: What if there is a course that gives credit for the training track I signed up for and it is also restricted in attendance to say, police only?
A: Signing up for a track just mans you are specifying the training track for your training, it does not mean ipso facto that you have any special rights to attend any and all sessions that give credit for your type of track. It is what it says it is: if it is a session that says "police only" and you are not police, you cannot attend. Further, if it is discovered that you were not eligible to attend the session, and did not have pre-approval in writing from the instructor to attend exempting you from the restriction, then be advised you may not be granted credit for aattending a session you were not actually eligible to attend.
Q: What do I do if I am in that situation of finding my top two courses being offered at the same time?
A: Well it is possible to get credit for partial attendance at a session, you can indicate on your Conference Evaluation Form that you attended the session, but mark on it that you were there for 30 minutes or 1 hour, etc. But normally we do not run courses in the same track up against each other.
Q: What I would like to do is sample from a large number of different areas of expertise after I knock out my minimum of four hours in my track area, but how do I know which classes or courses or sessions "count" towards my track area?
A: Just look at the "Session Credits" line of information inside each session. This provides the types of tracks that the session is geared towards. If your track is listed in the Session Credits, then that course will count towards the minimum of four (4) hours you have to accumulate in your one track area. You can obviously spend a lot more than four (4) hours in some of the tracks, that is up to you.
Q: Is the NGCRC training "Accredited" by any board of higher education?
A:
No. The term "accredited" normally applies to college/legal/continuing education
credits. In past years the NGCRC has offered college credit and CEU's, from
obviously accredited universities. Similarly, the NGCRC training has been approved
and accepted by the accrediting body in some states for attorneys or prosecutors
(State Supreme Court), but again, this is such a rare interest area, we do not
seek it out and we do not offer it as one of the features of our training program.
If you know someone who should "accredit" gang training, write to us with your
concerns as we feel we should be on "their" board due to our leadership in this
field for over a decade. We do not have a "static" program, our program is new
and expanded every year: with new material added on a constant basis for over
one hundred different courses, this is not a typical "gang training program"
(where the typical gang training program has a few, a dozen or so, choices of
sessions or courses to take: we have much more material and much more diversity).
Q: Does the NGCRC offer "CEU's" or Continuing Education Units in 2026?
A: No. We are not continuing this because there was little interest.
Q: Does the NGCRC offer Continuing Legal Education Units in 2026?
A: No.
Q: Does the NGCRC have any "digital training platform" in case I don't want to go to a face-to-face classroom?
A: Yes, but there is a limitation here that half of your training must be completed in person in classrooms at the actual conference. Go to: https://ngcrc.com/videopage.html
Q: Does the NGCRC training automatically get approved by the POST board in my
state?
A: No, there are 50 different state systems and we cannot afford to pay the fees alone for that (e.g., Indiana requires a $500 fee)..
THE TRAINING SITE:
The Westin Michigan Avenue Hotel
This
hotel is in a classy part of the north Loop. It is situated in the "Gold Coast"
area of north Michigan Avenue (the shopping district) by Chicago's Water Tower.
The "Water Tower" is Chicago's famous landmark. The Westin Hotel is known as
a favorite hotel for sports celebrities when they stay in Chicago. It is easy
to get to, conveniently located, well known, and has many amenities to offer.
It has scored favorably in the annual evaluations the NGCRC has conducted as
well (the Conference Evaluation Form asks attendees to evaluate a lot of things,
including the experience with hotel).
HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS:
The site where the training is occurring is the Westin Michigan Avenue Chicago hotel.
The toll free reservation hotline is: 1 (800) 228-9290
Here is the link for the booking website to make central reservations to get NGCRC hotel discount: TBA
The Westin Michigan Avenue is located at 909 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611. . When making reservations, the verbal "code" for the conference is "National Gang Crime Research Center (NGCRC) Gang Conference". They need that "code" to give you the reduced hotel rates.
The cut-off date for getting the rates here is July 13, 2026: Singles $224.
Trainees will, as in past NGCRC training conferences, be able to pick up their "goody bags" the evening before training begins. Opening Ceremony is 0700 Monday in the Chicago Ballroom; actual Training begins 8am Monday morning, August 3, 2026. However, you will be able to pick up your registration materials, your Identification Badge, the final schedule, and your "goody bag" the night before: we expect to be able to start giving out registration materials about 3pm on Sunday, August 2, 2026. We will be open to provide this service until about 8:00 p.m. Just go the the NGCRC Operations Center (The Garfield Park Room is the NGCRC Operations Center) to pick up your materials. Signs will be prominently displayed.
Be sure to call the NGCRC if you are having any problem getting a room at the hotel.
LOOKING FOR FOOD/ENTERTAINMENT DEALS WHILE IN TOWN?
For special deals on dining and entertainment while in Chicago, you might want to check a reliable source that Chicagoans use: www.190north.com
The website www.190north.com contains good and reliable information on unique dining and entertainment deals in Chicago. The website for the Chicago Westin Michigan Avenue Hotel also lists a number of famous local attractions.
The 2026 NGCRC 29th Gang Specialist
Training Conference:
The Preliminary or Advance
Curriculum and Detailed Course Offerings
for August 3 - August 5, 2026
Please
note that the 2026 program is just now getting started and the curriculum is
still adding courses.
This
is an advance listing of the courses already approved for inclusion in the Official
2026 Curriculum. We expect to be adding more sessions to this curriculum on
a regular basis.
The full conference information is available at https://ngcrc.com/conference.html
Note: The numbering or enumeration sequence of the sessions is subject to change.
Last updated: Sept. 16, 2025
This listing includes Sessions #1 thru #27
(1) “Graffiti Identity 1 - Understanding the Game”, by Retired Detective Ken Davis, Yonkers Police Department, Yonkers, NY.
Two (2) hours
Session credits: Advanced Gang Identification; Graffiti Identification and Analysis; Gang Crime Investigation; Gangs and Drugs; Gang Profile Analysis; Gang Internet Investigation; Gangs and Mental Health; Gangs and the Mass Media
Abstract
As a police officer, he was a leading member of the Community Affair’s Division’s graffiti and gang unit (1990-2000). As a Board Member, with the Yonkers Community Action Program, he co-founded “Off the Wall”, a community-based graffiti art program that educated a community at-risk for HIV/AIDS through its work (1992-2002). Since retirement from the Yonkers Police Department, Davis has authored two books on the topic, TAG 18.3 (hardcover) and The Graffiti Identity (e-book), and continues to educate sworn and non-sworn professionals on how to more effectively respond to graffiti crimes and street gang violence.
Bio
Kenneth Davis retired from the Yonkers Police Department in July of 2017. From 1985-1990 he was assigned to uniformed patrol (task force and public housing) and plainclothes (street-level and undercover narcotics). From 1990-2000 he worked street gangs, graffiti crimes and police academy. From 2000-2009 he was assigned to several middle/high schools as a school resource officer. In 2009 - 2017, as a detective, he continued investigating street gangs, narcotics (search warrants) and graffiti crimes. As the departments liaison, he assisted the YMCA’s Cure Violence/SNUG Program and the Westchester County Department of Corrections Re-entry Program. From 2017-present, he is a NYS private investigator and a graffiti/gang specialist presenting at various regional, national, and international conferences.
(2) “What We Really Need for Gang Investigation Skills in the Next Decade”, by Dr. Charles M. Russo, Royse City, TX.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Gang Crime Investigation Skills; Management and Supervision Skills for Gang Specialists
Abstract
The landscape of gang investigations is rapidly evolving, demanding a fundamental shift from traditional methods to a more analytical, forward-looking approach. This session will equip attendees with the essential critical thinking frameworks required to meet the challenges of the next decade. Participants will learn how to apply structured analytical techniques to complex investigations, mitigate cognitive biases in threat assessments, and leverage disparate data sources for predictive analysis. The focus will be on moving beyond reactive enforcement to proactive intelligence-led operations. Attendees will leave with practical, evidence-based skills to enhance their investigative process, improve decision-making under pressure, and develop more effective strategies for dismantling criminal enterprises. This is not just about new technology; it is about a new way of thinkin.
Bio
Dr. Charles Russo is a leading expert in the application of critical thinking to public safety, intelligence, and national security challenges. He has dedicated his career to developing and implementing training programs that enhance the analytical and decision-making capabilities of professionals in high-stakes environments. Dr. Russo has advised numerous law enforcement and government agencies on improving their intelligence processes and investigative methodologies. His research focuses on cognitive bias mitigation, structured analytical techniques, and the development of strategic foresight in complex security situations. He holds a Ph.D. and is a respected author and speaker, known for translating complex theories into practical, actionable strategies for front-line operators and strategic leaders alike.
(3) “Graffiti Identity 2 - Writers, Crews, and Gang Graffiti", by Kenneth Davis, Graffiti/Gang Specialist & Private Investigator, Yonkers, NY.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Advanced Gang Identification; Graffiti Identification and Analysis; Gang Crime Investigation; Gangs and Drugs; Gang Profile Analysis; Gang Internet Investigation; Gangs and Mental Health; Gangs and the Mass Media
Note: This session is scheduled for both classroom-based teaching and available now through the video-based training platform.
Abstract
Participants will learn how to recognize their presence and how to extract criminal and research intelligence through the graffiti they generate. Reinforcement of the graffiti identity (name, format, and style). This is part two of a three part course sequence.
Bio
Kenneth Davis retired from the Yonkers Police Department in July of 2017. From 1985-1990 he was assigned to uniformed patrol (task force and public housing) and plainclothes (street-level and undercover narcotics). From 1990-2000 he worked street gangs, graffiti crimes and police academy. From 2000-2009 he was assigned to several middle/high schools as a school resource officer. In 2009 - 2017, as a detective, he continued investigating street gangs, narcotics (search warrants) and graffiti crimes. As the departments liaison, he assisted the YMCA’s Cure Violence/SNUG Program and the Westchester County Department of Corrections Re-entry Program. From 2017-present, he is a NYS private investigator and a graffiti/gang specialist presenting at various regional, national, and international conferences.
education.
(4) “The Use of Drones By Gangs To Smuggle Contraband into Correctional Institutions: Part 1 of 3”, by George Knox, Ph.D. and D. Lee Gilbertson, Ph.D., NGCRC Staff.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Corrections Gang/STG Intelligence; Dealing With Gang Members in Probation/Parole; Gangs and Drugs; Officer Safety Skills in Dealing With Gangs; Gang Crime Investigation Skills.
Special Note: This session is provided through the NGCRC’s Digital Video Training Platform — the VIDEOPAGE. It is technically ready to view and complete now, before the conference begins. You will automatically get a password for accessing the video training files once you register for the conference.
Special note on required reading: please read before viewing this video consists of a document located at: https://ngcrc.com/dronepaper.pdf
Abstract
Gangs and STG’s have a long history in trying to control the smuggling of drugs and cell phones into prisons. The use of drones to smuggle contraband into correctional institutions began in earnest in 2013. That’s when four offenders were arrested in a drone smuggling incident at the Calhoun State Prison in Morgan, Georgia. This is a 3 part series of a narrated power point video presentation. Part 1 covers gang involvement with inmate economic rackets and smuggling contraband, and new FAA regulations. The problem of gangs/STG’s using drones and a detailed historical chronology of examples of prison drone smuggling is provided.
Bios
George Knox earned his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago. He has extensive field experience with gangs, including interviewing gang members, gang leaders, and gang victims. He has taught in the field of criminal justice and sociology. He serves as the Executive Director of the National Gang Crime Research Center. He was the author of the first full textbook on gangs (An Introduction to Gangs) and other books and monographs on gang topics. His research interests include how to deal with gang problems in probation/parole, juvenile corrections, adult corrections, and gang threat analysis — examining the gang as a unit of social organization.
D. Lee Gilbertson is a tenured professor at a state university in Minnesota and has been teaching since August 2000. He has studied gangs, militias, and extremist groups since 1995. He actively consults in the US and the UK with attorneys, law enforcement investigators, and medical examiners in the areas of forensic victimology and postmortem assessment, as well as crime analysis and mapping. Lee has presented at numerous national and international conferences and has participated in all of the NGCRC Gang Colleges. He is a recipient of the Frederic Milton Thrasher Award (2002, 2005, 2008) and the Curtis Robinson Leadership Award (2015). Lee is the Executive Editor for the Journal of Gang Research and is a member of the NGCRC Staff. His background includes a Ph.D. in sociology, MS in criminal justice, and 16 years of exemplary military service (infantry and signals intelligence).
(5) “Graffiti Identity 3 - OTWs Productions and Street Gang Memorials”, by Kenneth Davis, Graffiti/Gang Specialist & Private Investigator, Yonkers, NY.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Gang Crime Investigation Skills; Gangs and Drugs; Gang Profile Analysis; Advanced Gang Identification; Gang Internet Investigation; Gangs and the Mass Media
Note: This session is scheduled for both classroom-based teaching and available now through the video-based training platform.
Abstract
Participants will learn the purpose of OTWs productions and how to recognize street gang memorials
Bio
Kenneth Davis retired from the Yonkers Police Department in July of 2017. From 1985-1990 he was assigned to uniformed patrol (task force and public housing) and plainclothes (street-level and undercover narcotics). From 1990-2000 he worked street gangs, graffiti crimes and police academy. From 2000-2009 he was assigned to several middle/high schools as a school resource officer. In 2009 - 2017, as a detective, he continued investigating street gangs, narcotics (search warrants) and graffiti crimes. As the departments liaison, he assisted the YMCA’s Cure Violence/SNUG Program and the Westchester County Department of Corrections Re-entry Program. From 2017-present, he is a NYS private investigator and a graffiti/gang specialist presenting at various regional, national, and international conferences.
(6) “New Trends on Asian Gangs and Transnational Organized Crime Groups: Part 1”, by Dr. John Z. Wang, Professor, Department of Criminal Justice, California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA.
Four (4) hours
Note: This is part 1 of a 2 part series. Part 1 is taught Tuesday morning, Aug. 4th. Part 2 is taught Wednesday morning, Aug. 5th.
Session credits: Gang Crime Investigation Skills; Gangs and Organized Crime; Gang Profile Analysis; International and Transnational Gang Problems via case videos, evidence examinations, and M.O. analyses in four modules: (1) New perspectives and typologies on structural changes, new communication patterns, and inter-/intra-racial networking, (2) Shooting related investigation on quick determination of fired casing-types of weapons, certain alert fired casings, and fired bullets-types of weapons, (3) New smuggling methods on gun switches, 3D printed guns, and alien routes, and (4) New drug smuggling methods on fentanyl (precursors vs analogues), Nitazene (coated vs. laced pills), liquid methamphetamine, Kratom, and marijuana growing (farm vs. pot)..
Abstract
Bio
Dr. John Z. Wang is a world renowned criminological expert on Asian gangs. He is a full professor of criminal justice and forensic studies in the School of Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Emergency Management at California State University - Long Beach. He joined the first Asian Gang Survey Project in 1991 for his doctoral dissertation and has been providing training seminars at previous NGCRC conferences. He served as an adjunct instructor at Houston Police Academy from 1995 to 1999 and has been serving an adjunct instructor for California Law Enforcement Command College (CA POST Certified) since 2009. Also, he is a fellow of American Academy of Forensic Sciences since 2018. His expertise includes Asian gangs, Asian transnational organized crimes, high tech crimes, and forensic examinations of gang crimes related evidence with many publications.
(7) “Gang/STG Corrections Intelligence: What We Know From State Prisons in the USA — Part 1 of 4”, by George W. Knox, Ph.D., Executive Director, NGCRC.
One (1) hour
Note: This is provided through the NGCRC’s Digital Video Training Platform — the VIDEOPAGE. Available for viewing now.
Session credits: Corrections Gang/STG Intelligence; Dealing With Gang Members in Probation/Parole; Gangs and Drugs; Gangs and Mental Health; Gang Profile Analysis; Hate Groups / White Racist Extremist Gangs; Officer Safety Skills in Dealing With Gangs.
Abstract
This presentation focuses on what we know about gang and STG activity inside American state prisons. Attendees are provided a full coverage of the latest accurate information on the following topics covered: special housing for informants; racial conflicts and race relations; contraband cell phones; overcrowding and stress and trauma on the job; suicide problems by inmates and staff; the “VID” factor and PTSD; exposure to trauma and stress on the job; increased radicalization of inmates; religious extremism; gang/STG abuse of religious worship; review of the largest white racist extremist gangs; Islamic gangs and gangs that seek to control religious services; the concept of gang density and its three measurement components; gang recruitment behind bars; inmate complaints about gang recruitment; extent of recruitment in prisons today.
Bio
George Knox earned his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago. He has extensive field experience with gangs, including interviewing gang members, gang leaders, and gang victims. He has taught in the field of criminal justice and sociology. He serves as the Executive Director of the National Gang Crime Research Center. He was the author of the first full textbook on gangs (An Introduction to Gangs) and other books and monographs on gang topics. His research interests include how to deal with gang problems in probation/parole, juvenile corrections, adult corrections, and gang threat analysis — examining the gang as a unit of social organization.
(8) “A Basic Street Gangs Investigation", by Kenneth Davis, Graffiti/Gang Specialist & Private Investigator, Yonkers, NY.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Advanced Gang Identification; Graffiti Identification and Analysis; Gang Crime Investigation; Gangs and Drugs; Gang Profile Analysis; Gang Internet Investigation; Gangs and Mental Health; Gangs and the Mass Media
Notice: This course is restricted to Law Enforcement Only.
Note: This session is scheduled for both classroom-based teaching and available now through the video-based training platform.
Abstract
The instructor will give an overview of one of his past street gang investigations. The session covers the example of initiating two search warrants simultaneously at separate locations: leader and second-in-command’s residences. The course covers an overview of the search warrant return (criminal evidence and gang’s intelligence)..
Bio
Kenneth Davis retired from the Yonkers Police Department in July of 2017. From 1985-1990 he was assigned to uniformed patrol (task force and public housing) and plainclothes (street-level and undercover narcotics). From 1990-2000 he worked street gangs, graffiti crimes and police academy. From 2000-2009 he was assigned to several middle/high schools as a school resource officer. In 2009 - 2017, as a detective, he continued investigating street gangs, narcotics (search warrants) and graffiti crimes. As the departments liaison, he assisted the YMCA’s Cure Violence/SNUG Program and the Westchester County Department of Corrections Re-entry Program. From 2017-present, he is a NYS private investigator and a graffiti/gang specialist presenting at various regional, national, and international conferences.
(9) “Gang/STG Corrections Intelligence: What We Know From State Prisons in the USA — Part 2 of 4”, by George W. Knox, Ph.D., Executive Director, NGCRC.
One (1) hour
Note: This is provided through the NGCRC’s Digital Video Training Platform — available to view now through the VIDEOPAGE.
Session credits: Corrections Gang/STG Intelligence; Dealing With Gang Members in Probation/Parole; Gangs and Drugs; Gangs and Mental Health; Gang Profile Analysis; Hate Groups / White Racist Extremist Gangs; Officer Safety Skills in Dealing With Gangs.
Abstract
This presentation focuses on what we know about gang and STG activity inside American state prisons. Attendees are provided a full coverage of the latest accurate information on the following topics covered: measuring the three aspects of gang density; how gang importation is added with joining inside; extent to which prisons report white inmates have a separate gang; names of the largest gangs in American prisons; the prevalence of reports of military trained gang members; names of the largest motorcycle gangs behind bars; reports of gang leaders influencing politicians; pressure to play down the gang problem; political corruption over time: 1994 to present; whether gangs that exist inside operate by the same name outside of prison; comparing street gangs and prison gangs; the extent to which gangs/STGs cause management problems; the problem of housing all members of one gang together.
Bio
George Knox earned his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago. He has extensive field experience with gangs, including interviewing gang members, gang leaders, and gang victims. He has taught in the field of criminal justice and sociology. He serves as the Executive Director of the National Gang Crime Research Center. He was the author of the first full textbook on gangs (An Introduction to Gangs) and other books and monographs on gang topics. His research interests include how to deal with gang problems in probation/parole, juvenile corrections, adult corrections, and gang threat analysis — examining the gang as a unit of social organization.
(10) “Gang Ethics 101 - Don’t Shoot the Messenger", by Kenneth Davis, Graffiti/Gang Specialist & Private Investigator, Yonkers, NY.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Management and Supervision Skills for Gang Specialists; Management Skills for Gang Outreach, Prevention, and Intervention Services; Gangs and the Mass Media; Gang and Violence Prevention Skills for School Administrators.
Note: This session is scheduled for both classroom-based teaching and available now through the video-based training platform.
Abstract
This course addresses current trends challenging the modern-day gang specialist. It reviews current issues that affect how we apply apprehension, prosecution, prevention, intervention, restorative justice, and information management practices to gangs and gang members. There are many ethical issues in dealing with gangs and gang members, and it affects every stage of the process, from investigation to aftercare, even gang research itself. Should violence interrupter staff be required to “warn and protect” when they learn that gun violence is imminent? Should someone who joins a gang remain in a gang database for the rest of their life? Attend this session to learn about ethical guidelines for dealing with gangs and gang members and to share your own scenarios.
Bio
Kenneth Davis retired from the Yonkers Police Department in July of 2017. From 1985-1990 he was assigned to uniformed patrol (task force and public housing) and plainclothes (street-level and undercover narcotics). From 1990-2000 he worked street gangs, graffiti crimes and police academy. From 2000-2009 he was assigned to several middle/high schools as a school resource officer. In 2009 - 2017, as a detective, he continued investigating street gangs, narcotics (search warrants) and graffiti crimes. As the departments liaison, he assisted the YMCA’s Cure Violence/SNUG Program and the Westchester County Department of Corrections Re-entry Program. From 2017-present, he is a NYS private investigator and a graffiti/gang specialist presenting at various regional, national, and international conferences.
(11) “Gang/STG Corrections Intelligence: What We Know From State Prisons in the USA — Part 3 of 4”, by George W. Knox, Ph.D., Executive Director, NGCRC.
One (1) hour
Note: This is provided through the NGCRC’s Digital Video Training Platform — available for viewing now through the VIDEOPAGE.
Session credits: Corrections Gang/STG Intelligence; Dealing With Gang Members in Probation/Parole; Gangs and Drugs; Gangs and Mental Health; Gang Profile Analysis; Hate Groups / White Racist Extremist Gangs; Officer Safety Skills in Dealing With Gangs.
Abstract
This presentation focuses on what we know about gang and STG activity inside American state prisons. Attendees are provided a full coverage of the latest accurate information on the following topics covered: gang/STG member control of inmate economic rackets; cash seized from gang inmates; stronger gang affiliation after serving time; STG’s smuggle in contraband cell phones, make more improvised weapons; extent of formal gang training for prison staff today; threats and assaults against staff from prison gang members; the 2015 New York correctional union protest billboard portends the future — more protest billboards; whether inmate classification systems take gang membership into account; gangs extort money from inmate workers; whether Islamic inmates have separate gangs; are gang members more lawsuit oriented than non-gang members; the three types of prison riots; best estimate for latent terrorists; who wants tougher laws and zero-tolerance; the scarcity of gang renouncement programs; could improving race relations help reduce gang violence in prison; what support exists for no human contact status; large support exists for telephone and mail monitoring.
Bio
George Knox earned his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago. He has extensive field experience with gangs, including interviewing gang members, gang leaders, and gang victims. He has taught in the field of criminal justice and sociology. He serves as the Executive Director of the National Gang Crime Research Center. He was the author of the first full textbook on gangs (An Introduction to Gangs) and other books and monographs on gang topics. His research interests include how to deal with gang problems in probation/parole, juvenile corrections, adult corrections, and gang threat analysis — examining the gang as a unit of social organization.
(12) “Street Gangs Well Defined - For Criminal or Research Intelligence", by Kenneth Davis, Graffiti/Gang Specialist & Private Investigator, Yonkers, NY.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Advanced Gang Identification; Graffiti Identification and Analysis; Gang Crime Investigation; Gangs and Drugs; Gang Profile Analysis; Gang Internet Investigation; Gangs and Mental Health; Gangs and the Mass Media
Note: This session is scheduled for both classroom-based teaching and available now through the video-based training platform.
Abstract
Participants will learn how to apply tools and measurement to street groups for research and investigative purposes. The instructor will also address the groups inner dynamics, criminal activities, colors and lifespan.
Bio
Kenneth Davis retired from the Yonkers Police Department in July of 2017. From 1985-1990 he was assigned to uniformed patrol (task force and public housing) and plainclothes (street-level and undercover narcotics). From 1990-2000 he worked street gangs, graffiti crimes and police academy. From 2000-2009 he was assigned to several middle/high schools as a school resource officer. In 2009 - 2017, as a detective, he continued investigating street gangs, narcotics (search warrants) and graffiti crimes. As the departments liaison, he assisted the YMCA’s Cure Violence/SNUG Program and the Westchester County Department of Corrections Re-entry Program. From 2017-present, he is a NYS private investigator and a graffiti/gang specialist presenting at various regional, national, and international conferences.
(13) “The Use of Drones By Gangs To Smuggle Contraband into Correctional Institutions: Part 2 of 3”, by George Knox, Ph.D. and D. Lee Gilbertson, Ph.D., NGCRC Staff.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Corrections Gang/STG Intelligence; Dealing With Gang Members in Probation/Parole; Gangs and Drugs; Officer Safety Skills in Dealing With Gangs; Gang Crime Investigation Skills.
Special Note: This session is provided through the NGCRC’s Digital Video Training Platform — the VIDEOPAGE. It is technically ready to view and complete now, before the conference begins. You will automatically get a password for accessing the video training files once you register for the conference.
Special note on required reading: please read before viewing this video consists of a document located at: https://ngcrc.com/dronepaper.pdf
Abstract
Part 2 in this series provides recent findings from national jail and prison surveys about drones and smuggling. Financial factors are examined with a look at drone incidents in the federal prison system (BOP). An intensive profile analysis is provided for specific drone investigation and prosecution cases — Operation Cellmate (2014-2017) and the Muzzicato case (2019-2020).
Bios
George Knox earned his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago. He has extensive field experience with gangs, including interviewing gang members, gang leaders, and gang victims. He has taught in the field of criminal justice and sociology. He serves as the Executive Director of the National Gang Crime Research Center. He was the author of the first full textbook on gangs (An Introduction to Gangs) and other books and monographs on gang topics. His research interests include how to deal with gang problems in probation/parole, juvenile corrections, adult corrections, and gang threat analysis — examining the gang as a unit of social organization.
D. Lee Gilbertson is a tenured professor at a state university in Minnesota and has been teaching since August 2000. He has studied gangs, militias, and extremist groups since 1995. He actively consults in the US and the UK with attorneys, law enforcement investigators, and medical examiners in the areas of forensic victimology and postmortem assessment, as well as crime analysis and mapping. Lee has presented at numerous national and international conferences and has participated in all of the NGCRC Gang Colleges. He is a recipient of the Frederic Milton Thrasher Award (2002, 2005, 2008) and the Curtis Robinson Leadership Award (2015). Lee is the Executive Editor for the Journal of Gang Research and is a member of the NGCRC Staff. His background includes a Ph.D. in sociology, MS in criminal justice, and 16 years of exemplary military service (infantry and signals intelligence).
(14) “The Law Enforcement, Prosecution, and Corrections Networking Reception”, by Kenneth Davis and Gregg W. Etter Sr., NGCRC Staff.
One (1) hour
Special Note: 5pm-6pm in the Millenium Park Room, Tuesday, August 4, 2026. You need a ticket for the event, you get the ticket by signing up for it on your registration form. The ticket will be waiting for you in your registration packet you receive when you pick up your conference ID credentials.
Session credits: Corrections/STG Gang Intelligence; Dealing with Gang Members in Probation/Parole; Gang Crime Investigation Skills; Dealing With Gangs in Juvenile Correctional Facilities; Gang Prosecution.
Abstract
This session is the official meeting of the Law Enforcement/Corrections Networking Reception sponsored by the National Gang Crime Research Center (NGCRC) and hosted by Kenneth Davis and Fred Moreno. You are invited to bring your agency patches as you can be part of a National Patch Swap. Valuable door prizes are given to session participants. Many people return to the NGCRC conference as this is an incredible networking opportunity.
Bios
Kenneth Davis retired from the Yonkers Police Department in July of 2017. From 1985-1990 he was assigned to uniformed patrol (task force and public housing) and plainclothes (street-level and undercover narcotics). From 1990-2000 he worked street gangs, graffiti crimes and police academy. From 2000-2009 he was assigned to several middle/high schools as a school resource officer. In 2009 - 2017, as a detective, he continued investigating street gangs, narcotics (search warrants) and graffiti crimes. As the departments liaison, he assisted the YMCA’s Cure Violence/SNUG Program and the Westchester County Department of Corrections Re-entry Program. From 2017-present, he is a NYS private investigator and a graffiti/gang specialist presenting at various regional, national, and international conferences.
Dr. Gregg W. Etter Sr., Ed.D. is a Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Central Missouri. He retired as a Lieutenant with the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office after serving from 1977 to 2006. He is rated as a gang expert by the National Gang Crime Research Center. He has written extensively and presented classes on gangs, white supremacist groups and police management topics in the United States and Canada. Dr. Etter earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Wichita State University and his Doctorate degree from Oklahoma State University. Dr. Etter is the author of numerous books, book chapters, edited and refereed articles. His latest book is: Gangs and Organized Crime which he authored with Dr. George W. Knox and Dr. Carter F. Smith.
(15) “The Graffiti Identity 4 - Case Studies on Two Yonkers’ Prolific Graffiti Writers: One With International Connection, Another With Multi-Crew/Street Gang Membership Privileges”, by Kenneth Davis, Graffiti/Gang Specialist & Private Investigator, Yonkers, NY.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Advanced Gang Identification; Graffiti Identification and Analysis; Gang Crime Investigation; Gangs and Drugs; Gang Profile Analysis; Gang Internet Investigation; Gangs and Mental Health; Gang Profile Analysis; Gangs and the Mass Media
Note: This session is scheduled for both classroom-based teaching and available now through the video-based training platform.
Abstract
Attend this session to get insight on how some graffiti writers operate in complex and sophisticated ways. The presenter provides insight from two different profile analyses from his experience as a gang and graffiti investigator.
Bio
Kenneth Davis retired from the Yonkers Police Department in July of 2017. From 1985-1990 he was assigned to uniformed patrol (task force and public housing) and plainclothes (street-level and undercover narcotics). From 1990-2000 he worked street gangs, graffiti crimes and police academy. From 2000-2009 he was assigned to several middle/high schools as a school resource officer. In 2009 - 2017, as a detective, he continued investigating street gangs, narcotics (search warrants) and graffiti crimes. As the departments liaison, he assisted the YMCA’s Cure Violence/SNUG Program and the Westchester County Department of Corrections Re-entry Program. From 2017-present, he is a NYS private investigator and a graffiti/gang specialist presenting at various regional, national, and international conferences.
(16) “The Christian Gang Specialist Reception”, by Martha Wall-Whitfield, Ph.D., Principal, Arkansas Juvenile Assessment and Treatment Center, Bryant, AR; and George Knox, NGCRC Staff.
One (1) hour
Note: this is scheduled for Tuesday, August 4, 2026, noon. It is a ticketed event, you need to sign up for it in advance on your registration form.
Session credits: Faith-Based Programs for Gang Intervention; Gang Prevention Skills; Gang Counseling Skills; Management Skills for Gang Outreach, Prevention, and Intervention Services; Gang Outreach and Intervention Skills.
Abstract
This is available only to persons registered for the conference. This will be held during the “lunch hour” (12pm - 1pm) on Tuesday, August 4th, 2026. If you answered "YES" to the question on your registration form "I am interested in networking with Christian gang specialists while at this conference", then you received a special TICKET inside your registration materials. If you answered "NO" or left the question blank, it was assumed you are not interested. If you would like to change your mind, then you must do so prior to showing up at the conference: you can do it simply by mailing the NGCRC Conference Processing Center a letter or memo to the effect “if I was listed as NO or BLANK for the Christian Gang Specialist Reception, I wish to modify my registration data to reflect the new code of YES for attending this gang specialist networking event”. As we need to plan on how many are attending, no "walk ins" will be allowed. And as is the NGCRC tradition, of course, there are "door prizes" at this reception. Come prepared for some amazing testimony. This is open to anyone for any certification or non-certification registration, you need not be signed up for the Faith Based Programs certification option to attend this session. The NGCRC has been doing the Christian Reception since 1997. It is part of the strong positive tradition of the NGCRC to provide unique training and networking opportunities to those who attend the NGCRC training conference. The hosts are NGCRC staff. The format this year will be a sandwich luncheon format with the opportunity to give testimony, door prizes, etc.
Bios
Dr. Martha Wall-Whitfield is an educator from Little Rock, Arkansas where she is currently the Founder and Principal of Legacy Christian Academy, a private Christian school for at-risk youth and kids from trauma. She was formerly the District Principal for all juvenile correctional facilities in the state of Arkansas and also served as Principal at the state’s largest juvenile facility for incarcerated youth for seven years. She has taught for over 16 years at the University level as an Assistant Professor for Averett University and as an Adjunct for Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Arkansas Little Rock, and Arkansas State University. Dr. Whitfield is a mom of five and a Mimi to five. She is active in both her church and the community as a foster and adoptive parent and foster parent trainer for the state.
George Knox earned his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago. He has extensive field experience with gangs, including interviewing gang members, gang leaders, and gang victims. He has taught in the field of criminal justice and sociology. He serves as the Executive Director of the National Gang Crime Research Center. He was the author of the first full textbook on gangs (An Introduction to Gangs) and other books and monographs on gang topics. His research interests include how to deal with gang problems in probation/parole, juvenile corrections, adult corrections, and gang threat analysis — examining the gang as a unit of social organization.
(17) “New Trends on Asian Gangs and Transnational Organized Crime Groups: Part 2”, by Dr. John Z. Wang, Professor, Department of Criminal Justice, California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA.
Four (4) hours
Note: This is part 2 of a 2 part series. Part 1 is taught Tuesday morning, Aug. 5th. Part 2 is taught Wednesday morning, Aug. 6th.
Session credits: Gang Crime Investigation Skills; Gangs and Organized Crime; Gang Profile Analysis; International and Transnational Gang Problems; Asian Gangs and High Tech Gang Crimes.
Abstract
This four-hour presentation (Part B) will provides the latest trends on Asian gangs and transnational organized crime groups via case videos, evidence examinations, and M.O. analyses in four modules: (5) New underground prostitution and money laundering methods on undercover tips, covert communication, super-note counterfeiting, and special transfer channels, (6) High tech crimes on burglaries, home invasions, gift cards, skimming, and Q.R. scams, (7) AI crimes on virtual kidnapping, Pig-Butchers, and encrypted currency investment, and (8) Law enforcement countermeasures on townhall meetings, Intel briefing, civic associations and social taboos.
Bio
Dr. John Z. Wang is a world renowned criminological expert on Asian gangs. He is a full professor of criminal justice and forensic studies in the School of Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Emergency Management at California State University - Long Beach. He joined the first Asian Gang Survey Project in 1991 for his doctoral dissertation and has been providing training seminars at previous NGCRC conferences. He served as an adjunct instructor at Houston Police Academy from 1995 to 1999 and has been serving an adjunct instructor for California Law Enforcement Command College (CA POST Certified) since 2009. Also, he is a fellow of American Academy of Forensic Sciences since 2018. His expertise includes Asian gangs, Asian transnational organized crimes, high tech crimes, and forensic examinations of gang crimes related evidence with many publications.
(18) “Where’s Your Library Cad, Reviving an Old Search Tool”, by Kenneth Davis, Graffiti/Gang Specialist & Private Investigator, Yonkers, NY.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Advanced Gang Identification; Graffiti Identification and Analysis; Gang Prevention Skills; Gang Counseling Skills; Gangs and Mental Health; Gang Outreach and Intervention Skills; Gang Internet Investigation.
Abstract
Participants will be introduced to a traditional gang internet investigation tool - - - using basic search techniques and alerts. Adding this kind of basic search as a routinized daily activity will increase the effectiveness of your ability to keep a handle on the gang problem.
Bio
Kenneth Davis retired from the Yonkers Police Department in July of 2017. From 1985-1990 he was assigned to uniformed patrol (task force and public housing) and plainclothes (street-level and undercover narcotics). From 1990-2000 he worked street gangs, graffiti crimes and police academy. From 2000-2009 he was assigned to several middle/high schools as a school resource officer. In 2009 - 2017, as a detective, he continued investigating street gangs, narcotics (search warrants) and graffiti crimes. As the departments liaison, he assisted the YMCA’s Cure Violence/SNUG Program and the Westchester County Department of Corrections Re-entry Program. From 2017-present, he is a NYS private investigator and a graffiti/gang specialist presenting at various regional, national, and international conferences.
(19) “Gang/STG Corrections Intelligence: What We Know From State Prisons in the USA — Part 4 of 4”, by George W. Knox, Ph.D., Executive Director, NGCRC.
One (1) hour
Note: This is provided through the NGCRC’s Digital Video Training Platform — available for viewing now through the VIDEOPAGE.
Session credits: Corrections Gang/STG Intelligence; Dealing With Gang Members in Probation/Parole; Gangs and Drugs; Gangs and Mental Health; Gang Profile Analysis; Hate Groups / White Racist Extremist Gangs; Officer Safety Skills in Dealing With Gangs.
Abstract
This presentation focuses on what we know about gang and STG activity inside American state prisons. Attendees are provided a full coverage of the latest accurate information on the following topics covered: 3rd component of gang density; few prisons have programs to help gang/STG inmates quit the gang; small percentage who quit gang life while in prison means basically the first two components of gang density have the greatest weight; gang density adjustment to 63.8% in U.S. prisons is the only estimate with the rigorous three point or triangulated measurement approach; review of the use of 20 strategies to control gangs/STGs; the issue of bus therapy; overwhelming majority of prisons want Congress to pass legislation enabling prisons to jam cell phone signals; new development — about 1/3 of U.S. prisons now report drones have been used to smuggle in contraband (cell phones, drugs); also new — 37.9% of prisons now provide inmates with internet access or email; almost all recognize internet access for inmates creates a new type of danger; few prisons (13.8%) allow prisoner to prisoner email; low grade for federal leadership in responding to the gang problem in the last year; 89.7% expect the gang problem in corrections to increase in the next few years; 79.3% expect the problem of inmate violence from gang members to increase; three-fourths expect an increase in gang members abusing religious rights; 72.4% expect an increase in gang members assaulting correctional officers; and 44.8% expect an increase in radical militancy among inmates.
Bio
George Knox earned his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago. He has extensive field experience with gangs, including interviewing gang members, gang leaders, and gang victims. He has taught in the field of criminal justice and sociology. He serves as the Executive Director of the National Gang Crime Research Center. He was the author of the first full textbook on gangs (An Introduction to Gangs) and other books and monographs on gang topics. His research interests include how to deal with gang problems in probation/parole, juvenile corrections, adult corrections, and gang threat analysis — examining the gang as a unit of social organization.
(20) “Within a Decade: How the Community Affairs Division Managed Graffiti Vandalism and Street Gang Activities While Attending Its Affairs”, by Retired Detective Ken Davis, Yonkers Police Department, Yonkers, NY.
Two (2) hours
Session credits: Advanced Gang Identification; Graffiti Identification and Analysis; Gang Crime Investigation; Gangs and Drugs; Gang Profile Analysis; Gang Internet Investigation; Gangs and Mental Health; Gangs and the Mass Media
Abstract
As a police officer, he was a leading member of the Community Affair’s Division’s graffiti and gang unit (1990-2000). As a Board Member, with the Yonkers Community Action Program, he co-founded “Off the Wall”, a community-based graffiti art program that educated a community at-risk for HIV/AIDS through its work (1992-2002). Since retirement from the Yonkers Police Department, Davis has authored two books on the topic, TAG 18.3 (hardcover) and The Graffiti Identity (e-book), and continues to educate sworn and non-sworn professionals on how to more effectively respond to graffiti crimes and street gang violence.
Bio
Kenneth Davis retired from the Yonkers Police Department in July of 2017. From 1985-1990 he was assigned to uniformed patrol (task force and public housing) and plainclothes (street-level and undercover narcotics). From 1990-2000 he worked street gangs, graffiti crimes and police academy. From 2000-2009 he was assigned to several middle/high schools as a school resource officer. In 2009 - 2017, as a detective, he continued investigating street gangs, narcotics (search warrants) and graffiti crimes. As the departments liaison, he assisted the YMCA’s Cure Violence/SNUG Program and the Westchester County Department of Corrections Re-entry Program. From 2017-present, he is a NYS private investigator and a graffiti/gang specialist presenting at various regional, national, and international conferences.
(21) “Gang Prevention - Intervention - Counseling Networking Reception”. by Martha Wall-Whitfield, Ph.D., Principal, Arkansas Juvenile Assessment and Treatment Center, Bryant, AR and TBA, NGCRC staff.
One (1) hour
Special Note: 5pm-6pm, Monday, August 4, 2025. You need a ticket for the event, you get the ticket by signing up for it on your registration form. The ticket will be waiting for you in your registration packet you receive when you pick up your conference ID credentials.
Session Credits: Management and Supervision Skills for Gang Specialists; Gang Counseling Skills; Gang Prevention Skills; Gang Problems in K-12 Schools; Gangs and Mental Health.
Special Procedure for Sign Up: You need to check the “box” on your registration form in order to qualify to attend this event. It is a “ticketed” event. You get the ticket by signing up for it on the registration form itself or by using the ticket request form at the website, or by sending in a request to that effect..
Abstract
The gang intervention/prevention reception is a special event at the NGCRC and it has a long history of also being a valuable networking session. Come hear some analysis of the current state of affairs in gang prevention and learn about some people who are really making a difference in the world. This is also the time and venue in which the “NGCRC Spirit of Excellence Awards” are made. There are also door prizes in a random drawing based on your ticket to the event. You need to have a ticket to attend this event. The only way to get a ticket is to sign up for it in advance on the registration form itself.
Bios
This reception is always hosted by trusted NGCRC staff. Hosts for 2026 are Dr. Martha Wall-Whitfield and TBA.
Dr. Martha Wall-Whitfield is an educator from Little Rock, Arkansas where she is currently the Founder and Principal of Legacy Christian Academy, a private Christian school for at-risk youth and kids from trauma. She was formerly the District Principal for all juvenile correctional facilities in the state of Arkansas and also served as Principal at the state’s largest juvenile facility for incarcerated youth for seven years. She has taught for over 16 years at the University level as an Assistant Professor for Averett University and as an Adjunct for Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Arkansas Little Rock, and Arkansas State University. Dr. Whitfield is a mom of five and a Mimi to five. She is active in both her church and the community as a foster and adoptive parent and foster parent trainer for the state.
(22) “Gang/STG Intelligence: What We Know from the U.S. County Jails”, by George W. Knox, Ph.D., Executive Director, NGCRC.
One (1) hour
Note: this session is provided through the NGCRC’s Digital Video Training Platform — the VIDEOPAGE. So it is available online now through Aug. 2, 2023.
Session credits: Corrections Gang/STG Intelligence; Dealing With Gang Members in Probation/Parole; Gangs and Drugs; Gangs and Mental Health; Gang Profile Analysis; Hate Groups / White Racist Extremist Gangs; Officer Safety Skills in Dealing With Gangs.
Abstract
This presentation focuses on what we know about gang and STG activity inside American county jails. It covers the kinds of challenges that jail correctional officers face in the real world. Examined in detail are those aspects of gang life that impact on safety and security (fights, threats, attacks, homemade weapons, racial conflict, etc). Attendees will learn get a detailed briefing on what is going on with regard to gangs in the context of American county jail facilities. Upon completion attendees will have a better understanding of the national picture of dealing with gangs in the jail environment.
Bio
George Knox earned his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago. He has extensive field experience with gangs, including interviewing gang members, gang leaders, and gang victims. He has taught in the field of criminal justice and sociology. He serves as the Executive Director of the National Gang Crime Research Center. He was the author of the first full textbook on gangs (An Introduction to Gangs) and other books and monographs on gang topics. His research interests include how to deal with gang problems in probation/parole, juvenile corrections, adult corrections, and gang threat analysis — examining the gang as a unit of social organization.
(23) “The Use of Drones By Gangs To Smuggle Contraband into Correctional Institutions: Part 3 of 3”, by George Knox, Ph.D. and D. Lee Gilbertson, Ph.D., NGCRC Staff.
One (1) hour
Session credits: Corrections Gang/STG Intelligence; Dealing With Gang Members in Probation/Parole; Gangs and Drugs; Officer Safety Skills in Dealing With Gangs; Gang Crime Investigation Skills.
Special Note: This session is provided through the NGCRC’s Digital Video Training Platform — the VIDEOPAGE. It is technically ready to view and complete now, before the conference begins. You will automatically get a password for accessing the video training files once you register for the conference.
Special note on required reading: please read before viewing this video consists of a document located at: https://ngcrc.com/dronepaper.pdf
Abstract
Part 3 provides two more important drone investigation and prosecution case studies — th Kinser case (2018-2020) and the Fort Dix case (2018-2020). The less successful prosecution case involving the 107 Hoover Crips case in the incident at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary is reviewed. Possible covert indicators of drone smuggling are reviewed along with a listing of the most common types of contraband smuggled into prisons. Drone countermeasures and assistance to correctional agencies is discussed. A short 20-question quiz covers the full 3-part training video series.
Bios
George Knox earned his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago. He has extensive field experience with gangs, including interviewing gang members, gang leaders, and gang victims. He has taught in the field of criminal justice and sociology. He serves as the Executive Director of the National Gang Crime Research Center. He was the author of the first full textbook on gangs (An Introduction to Gangs) and other books and monographs on gang topics. His research interests include how to deal with gang problems in probation/parole, juvenile corrections, adult corrections, and gang threat analysis — examining the gang as a unit of social organization.
D.
Lee Gilbertson is a tenured professor at a state university in Minnesota and
has been teaching since August 2000. He has studied gangs, militias, and extremist
groups since 1995. He actively consults in the US and the UK with attorneys,
law enforcement investigators, and medical examiners in the areas of forensic
victimology and postmortem assessment, as well as crime analysis and mapping.
Lee has presented at numerous national and international conferences and has
participated in all of the NGCRC Gang Colleges. He is a recipient of the Frederic
Milton Thrasher Award (2002, 2005, 2008) and the Curtis Robinson Leadership
Award (2015). Lee is the Executive Editor for the Journal of Gang Research and
is a member of the NGCRC Staff. His background includes a Ph.D. in sociology.
(24) “Introduction to Separatist, Racist and Extremist Groups (SREG’s)”, by D. Lee Gilbertson, Ph.D., NGCRC Staff and Executive Editor, Journal of Gang Research.
Two (2) hours
Session credits: Gang Profile Analysis; Hate Group/White Racist Extremist Gangs; Gang Crime Investigation Skills; Graffiti Identification and Analysis; Domestic Counter Terrorism Skills; Advanced Gang Identification.
Note: This session is scheduled for the videopage only and is available now through the video-based training platform.
Abstract
This session is an introduction to the various Separatist, Racist, and Extremist Groups (SREGs) in the United States today. The instructors review the founders, origins, beliefs, practices, past and current activities, and significant symbology (e.g., phrases, graffiti, and dates). Call them “Hate Groups” is too simplistic and does not capture the complexity of the problem. The instructors discuss groups that are based on religious belief, political ideology, or racial views.
Bio
D. Lee Gilbertson is a tenured professor at a state university in Minnesota and has been teaching since August 2000. He has studied gangs, militias, and extremist groups since 1995. He actively consults in the US and the UK with attorneys, law enforcement investigators, and medical examiners in the areas of forensic victimology and postmortem assessment, as well as crime analysis and mapping. Lee has presented at numerous national and international conferences and has participated in all of the NGCRC Gang Colleges. He is a recipient of the Frederic Milton Thrasher Award (2002, 2005, 2008) and the Curtis Robinson Leadership Award (2015). Lee is the Executive Editor for the Journal of Gang Research and is a member of the NGCRC Staff. His background includes a Ph.D. in sociology, MS in criminal justice, and 16 years of exemplary military service (infantry and signals intelligence).
(25) “The Probation Officers/Court Staff Reception” by Dr. Andy Bain, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Criminal Justice & Sociology, Westminster College, New Wilmington, PA; and Irene C. Paredes, Lake County Superior Court Juvenile Division, Crown Point, IN.
. One (1) hour
Session Credits: Dealing With Gang Members in Probation/Parole.
Note: This is held during noon time on Monday, Aug. 3rd, and so that is why it is a ticketed event; you get your ticket by signing up for it on your registration form.
Abstract
This is a special reception for probation officers (juvenile and adult - - - county, state, and federal) and court personnel. It is held during the lunch hour on Monday. The purpose is to express appreciation to probation officers for their service in upholding the rule of law. If you are a probation officer or work for the court, come and attend, find a warm, friendly environment. Door prizes. Great chances to network and mingle. Learn something new, meet somebody new. Sponsored by the NGCRC staff, you will feel appreciated here. You need to sign up for it in advance as it is a ticketed event. You can sign up for it on your registration form.
Bios
Andy Bain is an assistant professor of Criminal Justice Studies at Westminster College, PA. He holds a Ph.D. in Offender Behavior, a Msc. Criminal Justice and a Graduate Diploma in Psychology. Andy has authored, and edited numerous books, chapters, and articles, on the outlaw motorcycle gangs; law enforcement and technology; and, professional risk working with mental health, social care, and criminal justice, publishing with a number of leading international academic and professional journals. His professional background includes four years with the National Probation Service (England & Wales) and six years running a successful Criminal Justice Consultancy Group, providing guidance and advice to law enforcement agencies and correctional bodies. This, in turn led to the publication of a number of local and national policing and corrections reports.
Irene C. Paredes is a probation officer in the Lake County Superior Court, Juvenile Division, Crown Point, IN. She is NGCRC staff, heads up the Operations Center, and has been attending and working with the NGCRC for decades.
(26) “Drug-Induced Homicide Investigations and Prosecutions: A Case Study and Step-By-Step Guide to Handling Fatal Overdose Cases and Prosecuting the Gang Members and Drug Dealers Who Dealt the Drugs”, by Stuart T. Welch, Senior Contact Attorney, Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office, Bel Air, MD; and Detective Tyler Dailey, Harford County Sheriff’s Office, Bel Air, MD.
Two (2) hours
Session credits: Gang Crime Investigation Skills; Gang Homicide Investigation Skills; Gangs and Drugs; Gangs and Organized Crime; Gang Prosecution.
Abstract
Convicting a drug dealer/gang member of homicide/manslaughter for dealing drugs that resulted in a fatal overdose is a complicated by extremely useful tool in impacting the drug trade within gangs and other drug dealers. This session provides step-by-step details of how to investigate and prosecute drug dealers for fatal overdose cases from the very beginning of receiving the dispatch call to sentencing after conviction. You will get to hear real case examples from the perspective of the lead detective and lead prosecutor that secured the first ever manslaughter conviction in their county for a drug dealer that dealt drugs resulting in a fatal overdose.
Bios
Stuart Welch is the Senior Contact Attorney for the Felony Drug and Gun Unit at the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office. Stuart is assigned to the Harford County Drug Task Force, which primarily investigates complex drug, gun, and gang cases throughout Harford County, Maryland. Stuart has prosecuted over 200 felony drug and/or gun cases, and he specializes in prosecuting drug dealers for dealing drugs that cause the fatal overdose of a victim. He secured the first ever conviction in Harford County of a drug dealer for Manslaughter for dealing the drugs that caused a fatal overdose. This is especially difficult in a state that has no drug-induced homicide laws. Stuart also serves as a member of the Overdose Fatality Review Board, where he studies fatal overdoses in Harford County in order to learn how to better prevent them going forward.
Detective Tyler Dailey has been a deputy with the Harford County Sheriff’s Office since 2017, and he is currently assigned to the Harford County Drug Task Force, where he primarily investigates drug, gun, and gang cases throughout the county. Detective Dailey has been the lead detective on multiple fatal overdose investigations, and he assisted Senior Contact Attorney Stuart Welch in securing the first ever conviction in Harford County of a drug dealer for Manslaughter for dealing the drugs that caused a fatal overdose.
(27) “A Social Economic Autopsy: A Look at the Root Causes of the Gang Problem”, by Troy R. Rogers, Chattonooga, TN.
One (1) hour
Session Credits: Gang Prevention Skills; Gangs and Mental Health.
Abstract
The Social Economic Autopsy presentation is a deep, unflinching exploration of the layered root causes of crime and community deterioration — poverty, illiteracy, fatherlessness, and untreated mental illness. This is not a lecture. It’s a lens. A mirror. A movement. Those attending will be challenged to see beyond behavior and into the broken systems and silent traumas that shape the decisions of young men and women. This autopsy doesn’t place blame — it reveals truth, honors unseen pain, and invites every listener to become a builder of hope and healing in their places of influence.
Bio
Troy R. Rogers is a nationally respected public safety architect, community strategist, and founder of BrightWay Group and The Reentry Playbook. With over 30 years in violence prevention, reentry, and trauma-informed mentoring, he has transformed high-risk communities through relational and restorative strategies. A Public Safety Coordinator for Chattanooga, Troy is the author of The Unseen Work: The Ministry of Public Safety, Dreams Are Unlocked by Reading, and The 10 Commandments of Mentoring. His work challenges systems, inspires leaders, and restores dignity to the most overlooked — proving that healing and hope are always possible.
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CHARGE IT:
In
response to numerous requests, the NGCRC now takes all major credit cards, defined
specifically as the "big four": Visa, Master Card, Discover Card, and American
Express. Fill out the registration form, and fax it to the NGCRC: the fax number
for the NGCRC is (708) 258-9546
A registration form appears below:
THE 2026 NGCRC's 29th INTERNATIONAL
GANG SPECIALIST TRAINING PROGRAM
REGISTRATION FORM: Registering on or Before Nov. 30, 2025
on-Line Version
Please PRINT neatly or type your full name with any title that you want to appear in your official name badge for the conference.
I.D. Badge Information:
NAME:___________________________________________
Title:_____________________________________________
Agency:__________________________________________
City,State:________________________________________
MAIL AND CONTACT INFORMATION: Where we will mail you a Confirmation of Registration letter for the conference, and fax the same material to you:
Name:___________________________________________________________
Agency :__________________________________________________________
Street Address:____________________________________________________
City, State, Zip:____________________________________________________
Tel. #. Area Code_______ Tel #:____________________
Fax #. Area Code_______ Fax #:____________________
Email Address:____________________________________
The
NGCRC reserves the right to refuse service to anyone: Towards this end we must
ask that all persons registering for the conference sign and by their signature
acknowledge the Official Policy of the NGCRC which is as follows - In order
to provide the safest and most educational environment, the National Gang Crime
Research Center (NGCRC) works to ensure that all participants at our conference
are law-abiding individuals who have gathered to collect and share information
about gangs and crime, in order to reduce and possibly eliminate the problems
associated with gang activity. Therefore, it is our policy that no individuals
or groups will be permitted at our conference who have links to gangs or other
aberrant groups and no one will be permitted to provoke or distract our participants
from the most meaningful learning environment. The National Gang Crime Research
Center (NGCRC) reserves the right to refuse attendance to any person or persons
suspected of or actually displaying gang affiliations. Furthermore, we reserve
the right to refuse attendance to any individual(s) determined to be disruptive
or instigating a negative or inappropriate presence or who is determined to
disrupt the sharing of information in the most effective learning environment.
I have also read and understand the refund policy published by the NGCRC. I
understand that some sessions may be restricted as described in the course listings
and that just because I sign up for a certain track does not mean ipso facto
I can attend any and all sessions giving credit for that track. If a course
says in its description it is restricted in attendance to police then you cannot
attend it unless you are police and if you did attend you will not be given
credit for a session you were not eligible to attend I attest that I am at least
18 years of age as of this date. I understand this is a professional venue and
that it is not an appropriate place to use toxic language that could offend
other persons. I understand that no photos or videos can be taken in or around
the NGCRC training rooms.
I hereby acknowledge by my signature the above policies of the NGCRC:_________________________________________________________________________________________________
I would like to attend the Christian Gang Specialist Reception ___Yes ___No (if blank, we assume you mean "NO")
I work in either law enforcement or corrections and I would like to attend the Law Enforcement, Prosecution and Corrections Networking Reception: ____Yes ____No (if blank, we assume you mean "NO")
I want to attend the Intervention/Prevention/Counseling Gang Specialist Networking Reception ____Yes ____No (if blank, we assume you mean "NO")
I want to attend the Probation Officer/Court Services Social Networking Reception. ___Yes ___No (if blank, we assume you mean "NO")
I want to attend one of the Baseball Social Networking Events.___Yes ___No (If yes, pick ONE date: ___Monday 7:10pm ___Tuesday 7:10pm)
I am registering for (check appropriate box):
___Certification ___Non-Certification
I have previously completed certification training by the NGCRC. ____Yes ____No
If registering for Certification, Complete this section ONLY if you have previously been Certified by the National Gang Crime Research Center at any of the previous NGCRC International Gang Specialist Training Conference(s). I received NGCRC certification from (check one or more as may apply in your situation):
___First
International ___Second International ___Third International ___Fourth International
___Fifth International ___Sixth International ___Seventh International ___Eighth
International ____Ninth International ____Tenth International ___Eleventh International
___Twelfth International ___Thirteenth
International ___Fourteenth International ___Fifteenth International
____Sixteenth International ____Seventeenth International ____Eighteenth International
____Nineteenth International ____Twentieth International ___Twentyfirst International
___Twenty second international ___Twenty Third International ___Twenty Fourth
International ___Twenty Fifth International ___Twenty Sixth International (2023)
___Twenty Seventh (2024) ___Twenty Eighth (2025)
SPECIAL TRAINING TRACKS (If you are registering for Certification, you also need to complete this section): SELECT ONE ONLY (this is for your second certificate): I am signing up for Track Number ________ entitled ________________________________________________
(1) Gang Crime Investigation Skills Track
(2) Dealing With Gang Members in Probation/Parole Track
(3) Gang Homicide Investigation Skills Track
(4) Gangs and Drugs Track
(5) Gang Problems in K-12 Schools Track
(6) Gangs and Organized Crime
(7) Gangs and Mental Health Track
(8) Gang Interview/Interrogation Skills Track
(9) Gang Internet Investigation
(10) Management Skills for Gang Outreach, Prevention, and Intervention Services Track
(11) Gang Outreach and Intervention Skills Track
(12) Management and Supervision Skills for Gang Specialists
(13) Corrections Gang/STG Intelligence Track
(14) Domestic Counter-Terrorism Skills Track
(15) Motorcycle Gangs (restricted: for Criminal Justice Personnel only)
(16) Dealing With Gangs in Juvenile Correctional Facilities
(17) Gang and Violence Prevention Skills for School Administrators
(18) Gang Counseling Skills Track
(19) Advanced Gang Identification
(20) Gang Profile Analysis Track
(21) Gang Prosecution Track
(22) Gang Prevention Skills Track
(23) International and Transnational Gang Problems Track
(24) Hate Groups/White Racist Extremist Gangs Track
(25) Officer Safety Skills in Dealing With Gangs Track
(26) Asian Gangs and High Tech Crimes Track
(27) Gangs and the Mass Media Track
(28) Graffiti Identification and Analysis Track
(29) Faith-Based Programs for Gang Intervention Track
(30) Gang Victim, Witness, and Survivor Services Track
Your registration fee does not cover your hotel room or transportantion or parking or meals. Your registration fee covers only the training itself.
Amount to pay for Registration (see schedule below):
ADVANCE REGISTRATION PERIODS:
Paying on or before November 30, 2025: Non-Certification $400, Certification $450
Paying on or after December 1, 2025 and on or before December 31, 2025: Non-Certification $450, Certificatin $500
EARLY REGISTRATION PERIODS:
Paying on or after January 1, 2026 and on or before January 31, 2026: Non-Certification $500, Certification $550
Paying on or after February 1, 2026 and on or before February 28, 2026: Non-Certification $550, Certification $600
Paying on or after March 1, 2026 and on or before March 31, 2026: Non-Certification $600, Certification $650
REGULAR REGISTRATION PERIODS:
Paying on or after April 1, 2026 and on or before April 30, 2026: Non-Certification $650, Certification $700
Paying on or after May 1, 2026 and on or before May 31, 2026: Non-Certification $700, Certification $750
Paying on or after June 1, 2026 and on or before June 30, 2026: Non-Certification $750, Certification $800
LATE REGISTRATION PERIOD:
Paying on or after July 1, 2026 and on or before July 31, 2026: Non-Certification $800, Certification $850
LAST MINUTE AND ONSITE REGISTRATION: A "last minute" or Onsite Registration is any registration made on or after August 1, 2026.
Paying On-Site (If slots are available): Non-Certification $950, Certification $1000
Last minute registrations must be paid up at the time of registration. There is no guarantee that actual "on site" registration slots will be available. In recent years, registrations closed a couple weeks before the conference.
I am signing up for the Double Major option (where I get two certificates in the two different specialty areas, it requires me to log-in at least four hours in each track or specialty area, and I have enclosed an extra $90 for this option). ____Yes ____No
If yes regarding the Double Major, my second training track will be: (fill it in here)______________________________________________________________
Note anyone registering on-site: we reserve the right to refuse on-site registration to anyone for any reason. You will need USC, money order, traveler’s checks, bank check, cashier's check, or government agency check to pay onsite.
Note: you know you are registered for the conference if and only if you receive from the NGCRC an official “Conference Registration Confirmation” letter; we send these out PROMPTLY to all persons; so if you have not received one, you are not registered.
NOTE: Payment must be received by the NGCRC prior to the conference itself unless the NGCRC agrees to the terms of any alternative arrangement (in writing).
Group Discount Code:_____________
PAYMENT METHOD: We prefer checks or money orders for payment. No personal checks will be accepted for on-site payment of conference registration fees. We do accept credit card payments.
_____Payment enclosed in check or money order made payable to "National Gang Crime Research Center"
_____VISA, MasterCard, American Express or Discover.
Card number:________________________________________________________________________________
Expiration date: Month___________________________ Year:_______________________ CVC# On card:______
Name on card: (printed):___________________________________________________________________
Telephone of card holder in case we need to call:_________________________________________________
Your Signature:________________________________ Amount you authorize to charge (total):__$______________
Billing
Address for the card holder(Printed): (street address)__________________________________________________________
Zip Code for the Billing Address:__________________________________
Call (708) 258-9111 if you need the NGCRC F.E.I.N. (tax number) or our Merchant Number for credit card payments. Also, call (708) 258-9111 if you want to provide credit card info by verbal rather than written transmission.
Registration forms can be faxed to the NGCRC, the Fax Number is (708) 258-9546.
Registration forms can be emailed to the NGCRC, the email address is: gangcrime@aol.com
(you can always elect to "call in" the credit card number if you are paying by credit card).
Make checks or money orders payable to "National Gang Crime Research Center". Make sure to mail a copy of your registration with the payment so that proper credit can be made to your registration. Send registration forms and payment to: The 2026 Conference Processing Center, National Gang Crime Research Center, PO Box 990, Peotone, IL 60468-0990.