New database to help police share info on gangs

BOSTON - Police across Massachusetts will soon be able to share detailed information on gang members, from criminal histories and known associates to the tattoos that indicate gang affiliation.

In January, the Criminal History Systems Board, which handles the state’s telecommunications network for law enforcement agencies, plans to launch the new database, called MassGangs.

The system is funded by a $1.2 million federal Department of Justice grant and will let investigators share the gang-related information as soon as it becomes available.

The board’s executive director Curt Wood tells the Boston Globe that the system will also be used by the Department of Correction to monitor potential gang-related security threats in prisons.