Forsyth police chief says gangs a growing problem in city

FORSYTH, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Forsyth’s police chief says he’s trying to rid the city of what he calls a growing problem — gangs. 

Chief Keith Corley says he’s starting to see more incidents in surrounding counties and wants to teach residents what to look for to keep their neighborhoods safe. 

On any given day, children are welcome to come here — a typical playground, but if you look a little closer you’ll start to see what is worrying Corley. 

“We’ve seen some increase in gang activity in Forsyth,” Corley said. 

The Kynette Park jungle gym is the latest canvas for graffiti, or “Tagging”, and Corley thinks it involves gangs.
 
“I really see gangs growing and you’re seeing that more i.
.
n Forsyth and we need to have citizens to be aware,” Corley said. 

The long-time chief is asking for help to teach residents what to look for. Timothy Melton with the Georgia Public Safety Training Center is an expert. 

“If we can get everybody on the same sheet of music and get them talking together, we can hopefully at least slow this thing down,” Melton said. 

Both men say gangs are a growing problem in middle Georgia and their influence can trickle down to the youngest generations. 

“Some of this might be just a maturity level changes and hormonal changes, but it could also be because they’re caught up in a group of people they don’t need to be in which are criminal street gangs,” Melton said. 

Forsyth’s Police Department and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office are hosting a gang education seminar — teaching people the usual signs for street gang involvement. 

Melton wants the public to know this isn’t a profiling class. 

“Just because somebody where’s a t-shirt of their favorite band doesn’t mean that they’re part of a gang or a group or things like that. It’s a grouping of things,” Melton said. 

He adds no matter the race, gender, or age — gang activity can be a problem anywhere.

“It takes a community to come together and say ‘we don’t want this.’ We need to heed some of these issues,” Melton said. 

Corley agrees and says he’s welcoming anyone who has questions or concerns to come ask, learn, and listen. 

“No, it’s not a box I’ve checked off, this is something I really want citizens to come away with some good knowledge,” Corley said. 

The gang education seminar is this Friday at the Monroe County Courthouse at 6 p.m. Chief Corley is inviting anyone who wants to know a little more about the warning signs of gangs to attend and it’s free.