Gang census shows Manatee has 516 members

MANATEE - The Attorney General's Office has released a new census documenting 56,200 gang members, associates and other suspects statewide.

Of those, 516 are members residing in Manatee County in 2010, according to Manatee County Sheriff's Office. There are 45 associates and an estimated 150 suspected gang members who are not documented, said sheriff's office Gang Unit Sgt. Gary Combee.

Manatee County has a total of 21 documented gangs including several motorcycle gangs and Aryan Brotherhood.

There have been three gangs that have undergone RICO prosecution: Brown Pride Locos, Third Shift and SUR-13.

Statewide, there was a 1.7 percent decrease in the number of gang members - 30,796, but all other figures increased including the number of gangs documents and the number of law enforcement agencies reporting figures.

In Sarasota County, there were 400 documented gang members and 95 associates from a total of five gangs.

Read the full story in Thursday's Bradenton Herald.

- Beth Burger