WHEELING, WV, July 27, 2009 — Dr. John Poffenbarger, Wheeling Jesuit University political science professor, is studying the growth of gangs this summer in conjunction with an effort by the U.S. Attorney’s Office to assess gang activity in the Northern District of West Virginia.
"We are very pleased to be working with WJU and Professor Poffenbarger in this unique project and know that his analysis will be of great assistance to law enforcement efforts to prevent and deter gang formation," said United States Attorney for the Northern District Shari Potter.
(Professor John Poffenbarger is shown at right.)
Funded by a $75,000 grant award issued by the Bureau of Justice Assistance through the federal Project Safe Neighborhoods Anti-Gang Initiative, the study will be completed by the end of July 2010.
Poffenbarger, a native of Dunbar, W.Va., finds that gang activity is a hot topic in many areas of the country and the growth of criminal gangs is a sad part of our contemporary culture.
“Youth gangs are everywhere and they tend to intimidate and escalate into violent anti-social activities if left alone. The more we understand the growth of gangs, the better for our community and these young people,” he said. Poffenbarger earned his bachelor’s at Xavier University and his master’s and Ph.D at West Virginia University.
There are three parts to the study, with the first part consisting of a survey of all law enforcement agencies in the Northern District, including city, county and other police organizations. Poffenbarger is currently waiting for his seven-page survey to be completed by the 116 law enforcement agencies that he spoke to.
He developed the questionnaire after several drafts and it includes questions like: “In the past year, has your jurisdiction seen an increase in vandalism or graffiti,” and “overall, how many gangs do you believe were active in your jurisdiction in 2008-2009?”
Next he will use the surveys to visit public and private schools in the Northern District, which includes Clarksburg, Elkins, Martinsburg and Wheeling neighborhoods, and see if gangs are making their ways into area schools. The result of this school survey plus the law enforcement survey will be used by the U.S. Attorney’s Office to gauge the prevalence of gang activity in the District and to assist in the development of an anti-gang initiative for the District.
"The Northern District of West Virginia is fortunate in that we do not have an active gang presence right now. However, projects like this survey will help communities and law enforcement recognize gang signs and prevent gangs from gaining footholds in our schools and communities,” said Potter.
The youngest of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States, Wheeling Jesuit University offers students a high-quality private education. Since 1995 U.S. News & World Report has ranked it among the top institutions in its “Best Master’s Universities in the South” category.
The campus is also home to the Robert C. Byrd National Technology Transfer Center, the Erma Ora Byrd Center for Educational Technologies®, the NASA-sponsored Classroom of the Future, a Challenger Learning Center® and the Clifford M. Lewis Appalachian Institute. For complete information, please call 1 (800) 624-6992.
