John Girgenti

The old rivalries endure in neighborhoods broken in half by an atmosphere of drugs and dread.

In Newark, the Bloods hold turf in the south ward and the Crips control much of the west. The Latin Kings take up the slack in parts of the north. In the smaller towns around Newark the gangs split their fiefdoms along municipal boundaries. The Crips are dominant in Linden, while the Bloods hold sway in Roselle.

With the arrest last week of Jose Carranza of Peru and two Latino minors, held in the execution-style killing of three Newark college students, MS-13, the gang with roots in El Salvador and ties on the West Coast, again came to the fore - at least on the street - as a prime organizational suspect.

CODEY/GIRGENTI BILL BANNING SALE OF CREATINE TO MINORS PASSES COMMITTEE

TRENTON - Legislation sponsored by Senate President Richard J. Codey and Senator John A. Girgenti banning the sale or distribution of creatine and other similar performance enhancing substances to minors was approved today by the Senate Law, Public Safety and Veterans Affairs Committee.

GIRGENTI BILL AIMS TO EDUCATE CHILDREN ABOUT FIRE SAFETY

TRENTON - Legislation sponsored by Senator John A. Girgenti to teach children about fire safety was approved by the Senate Law, Public Safety and Veterans' Affairs Committee today.

TURNER-GIRGENTI MEASURE TO COMBAT GANGS BY EXPANDING YOUTH EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH COMMITTEE

TRENTON - The Senate Law & Public Affairs and Veterans' Affairs Committee approved legislation today sponsored by Senators Shirley K. Turner and John A. Girgenti aimed at combating gang violence by working to find more employment opportunities for disadvantaged youth.

FULL SENATE GIVES GREEN LIGHT TO CODEY/GIRGENTI PACKAGE CRACKING DOWN ON INTERNET PREDATORS

Bills Would Give New Jersey Some of the Toughest Law Enforcement Tools in the Nation

TRENTON - The full Senate today approved a package of bills sponsored by Senate President Richard J. Codey (D-Essex) and Senator John Girgenti (D-Bergen, Passaic) that would give New Jersey some of the toughest tools in the nation to crack down on the growing threat of Internet predators.

GIRGENTI HOPES TO CREATE TASK FORCE TO STUDY VET'S HOSPITALS

TRENTON - Legislation sponsored by Senator John A. Girgenti to establish a ten member task force to study the construction and operation of a Veterans' hospital.

GIRGENTI MEASURE REQUIRES TEACHERS TO SPOT POTENTIAL GANG ACTIVITY

TRENTON - Senator John A. Girgenti said today that requiring our educators to undergo gang violence training in order to spot signs of gang activity in their students is crucial for protecting New Jersey from gangs.

TRENTON – Bills that would require school bus drivers to inspect their buses at the end of their routes for children left behind and authorize a comprehensive study of Megan’s Law will be before the State Senate when it meets on Monday.

“After reports this week that yet another child was left on a parked bus in Glassboro, it’s become painfully obvious that we need to mandate these bus checks and supply significant consequences for abandoning a child on a school bus,� said Senator Fred Madden, D-Camden and Gloucester, sponsor of the bill to require bus checks at the end of every route.

The bill, S-328, would require a school bus driver to visually inspect the school bus at the end of each transportation route to make sure that no pupil remains on the bus and impose penalties if the driver leaves a pupil on the bus at the end of the route. The first offense would bring a six month suspension of school bus driving priveleges while a second offense would result in a permanent ban.

TURNER/GIRGENTI GANG INITIATIVES GAIN FINAL LEGISLATIVE APPROVAL

TRENTON - Legislation sponsored by Senators Shirley K. Turner and John A. Girgenti that would strengthen the State's efforts to combat gang violence by imposing tough penalties on individuals who share firearms and by placing tougher checks on the source of bail money were granted final legislative approval by the Senate today.

"Gangs now pose a threat to every community in New Jersey," said Senator Turner, D-Mercer. "We need to empower law enforcement and local communities to stop these gangs in their tracks and keep their senseless violence and criminal activity out of our neighborhoods."

GIRGENTI SAYS STATE NEEDS RELIEF AND REFORM - NOT RHETORIC

TRENTON - Senator John A. Girgenti, D-Passaic and Bergen, today said Governor Corzine's address to the Legislature on property taxes should be followed up by bipartisan legislative action that produces "relief and reform - not rhetoric."

The Senate Democrat said, "Reforms are needed as much for the seniors on fixed incomes as for the newly married homeowners and for the working families trying to put money away for college educations for their children."