SANDY, Utah – Law enforcement personnel, teachers and community leaders are receiving training from local and national gang experts at the Annual Utah Gang Conference.
The two-day conference began Wednesday and continues on Thursday. It is sponsored by the Salt Lake Area Gang Project, which is also known as the Metro Gang Unit.
The conference includes basic and advanced training on topics that cover a variety of gangs and gang related issues, including youth gangs, managing gang offenders, bullying and gang investigations.
Sgt. Jared Garcia, Salt Lake Metro Gang Unit, said one of their goals is to prevent youth from getting into gangs, as that is preferable to dealing with them after they’ve begun moving down that path.
“We try to focus on education and then intervention and getting involved early in the process, so that we can prevent juveniles from getting involved or getting too deep in the gang before it basically takes over their life,” he said.
The conference takes place at the South Towne Exposition Center in Sandy. For more information, visit their website.
