Local law enforcement agencies joined U.S. Attorney William Hochul on Buffalo’s West side Monday to celebrating the termination of the 10th Street Gang.
The last of the gang’s 44 members were convicted this past Friday. The gang was accused of committing more than two dozen shootings, racketeering and multiple narcotics transactions over two decades in the city's lower West side.
Before they were taken off the streets in 2009, the gang was expanding its operations to other areas of the city. Hochul says citizens in the community can rest a little easier.
"We're already working on the next steps. We're targeting the next gangs," Hochul said.
Hochul says although this is the end of one gang, law enforcement agencies are currently working to take down other gangs across the city.
"Gangs members don't just go away forever," he said.
Hochul says since the 10th Street gang was taken off the street in 2009, homicides went down 92 percent and violent crime decreased by 31% on the lower West side.