see also: in November 2008:   Thanksgiving Day Marijuana Seizure Yields 450 Pounds at Douglas Port of Entry   Registered Sex Offender Intercepted by CBP at Pacific Highway Entry   CBP Officers Seize 145 Pounds of Ecstasy at Vermont Entry   CBP Officers in Boston Seize Undeclared $19,300   CBP Advises Travelers of Temporary Construction at Otay Mesa Border Crossing   CBP Officers in Niagara Falls Arrest Man Wanted in California   Customs and Border Protection Officers in New York Arrest Imposter ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

contacts for this news release

Yuma, Ariz. – The Border Patrol’s Yuma Sector recently hosted an unprecedented multi-agency gang awareness training conference November 18-19.

Effectively uniting 40 different local, tribal, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and two Mexican agencies, more than 300 law enforcement officers attended the Yuma Sector’s two-day gang awareness conference in Yuma, Ariz.

The conference featured senior gang experts from the Yuma Border Patrol Sector, Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, Inglewood Police Department, Maricopa Police Department, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Setting the proactive tone of the conference, opening day remarks were delivered by Yuma Sector Chief Patrol Agent Paul Beeson, FBI Senior Supervisor Resident Agent Allen Grimes, Cocopah Police Chief James Spurgeon, and Cocopah Tribal Chairwoman Sherry Cordova.

“By networking together, we can significantly disrupt or minimize illegal activity that is being spread throughout Mexico and the U.S. by gang members,” said Chief Patrol Agent Paul Beeson.

The training focused on combating the growing street gang problem by uniting law enforcement personnel involved in arresting, interviewing, and investigating members of such organizations. In addition, the training educated all attendees in the identification of local, trans-national, prison and street gangs; creating an atmosphere in which personnel could network with other law enforcement contacts.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.