Valley conference focuses on Arizona gangs

TEMPE, AZ - Hundreds of men and women with the job of keeping us safe from gang activity joined forces in the Valley this week.

Officials from police agencies around the state were looking for ways to keep those gangs from committing crimes in our neighborhoods.

ABC15 had exclusive access to their annual conference, one that was so top secret, they asked that we not talk about it until they wrapped up earlier today.

They say that more than 1,200 gang members call the city of Phoenix home.

Investigators say they used to focus on attacking each other, but Arizona's leading gang detectives say they now often work together to commit crimes on innocent victims.

"Before, you never saw that. A rival gang member would shoot a rival gang member," one expert said. "Now what you're seeing is they're joining forces for the love of money."

This week, Charlie Consolian with the Phoenix Police Department took part in the Arizona Gang Investigators Association annual conference at the Fiesta Inn in Tempe.

The state's leading gang investigators come together once a year to talk about the latest trends in gang activity and how best to combat them.

"What is Phoenix's issue today is Tempe's issue tomorrow, is Scottsdale's issue the next day," another participant said.

In addition to collaborating with one another, investigators claim gang members have also become more tech savvy over the past few years, even going so far as to use social media to communicate.

"I think gangs are being more sophisticated on how they approach their activities. Technology is helping bring that to the forefront," Consolian said. "They evolve with technology just like anyone else does."

And those in law enforcement say they'll evolve right along with them, in order to keep our streets safe.