United Against MS-13

Transcript:

Narrator: They're two of the most dangerous gangs in the U.S.: MS-13 and 18th Street. They spread fear and violence and crime in more than 40 states across the country. But they're not just a U.S. problem. They're a transnational one.

That's why the FBI and State Department are reaching out more and more to law enforcement in Central America, where these gangs have a stronghold.

One result is the Central American Law Enforcement Exchange program, or CALEE.

Now in its second year, the FBI-run program aims to increase cooperation and sharing among U.S. and Central American agencies. Their common goal: disrupting the gangs.

FBI Special Agent Robert Guyton: The problem with MS-13 and 18 th Street is that they’re transnational. They have huge populations in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras. They’re starting to pop up in other Central American countries. So it makes it difficult for law enforcement to communicate, being that they’re not only in different communities in the United States but stretching out trans-nationally to other Central American countries.

Narrator: Participants from U.S. agencies and six Central American countries spend nearly a month together in classrooms, at command posts, and out on the street.

[police radio chatter]

Narrator: In Los Angeles, participants got an up-close look at how gang task forces are tackling the issue—on the ground … and in the air.

[helicopter noise]

Lieutenant Randal Stover, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department: We’re all learning something form each other in regards to how to better combat the issues in regards to MS-13… I think gangs are bad all over. Gangs have been a thorn in everybody’s side throughout the United States for a long time. But through these partnerships, through the cooperation between this international effort to combat them, I think we are going to make a difference.

[Spanish speaking]

Navas Funes, Nicaraguan National Police, (speaking through translator): it’s very important in all this to strengthen the ties among officers of the different institutions or organizations.

Narrator: CALEE is just one piece of the FBI’s larger strategy targeting gangs. The MS-13 National Gang Task Force originated in 2004 to boost information sharing with Central American law enforcement.

Special Agent Guyton: CALEE’s fostering positive relationships between law enforcement officials in Central America and domestic law enforcement officials here in the United States. The best part about that is they now have a network. They now have contacts in each of these respective countries. So if a crime occurs here in Los Angeles, they know people that they can reach out to in El Salvador, in Guatemala, in Belize, to reach out, get the information they need, exchange the intelligence, and hopefully solve the crime.

Narrator: By learning about each others unique challenges and gaining each others trust, agencies in the U.S. and Central America have honed a powerful tool in their anti-gang arsenals—an open line of communication.

[helicopter noise]