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Liz Farmer writes in the Maryland Daily Record: As gang-related crime increases, the county prosecutor’s office increases its manpower — and its caseload:

On Halloween night in Rockville, a Safeway cashier was shot in the leg by a group of assailants. A week later, a stabbing assault at a Gaithersburg mall was followed by a fatal stabbing at a nearby bus stop.

Then, five men stabbed and seriously wounded a Gaithersburg man in what authorities described as a retaliatory strike. And the following week, two teens were shot outside the Shady Grove Metro station.

The Gang Prosecution Unit, made possible through state and local funding, handles not just gang violence but all cases where a known gang member has been charged with a crime. The unit handled nearly 400 cases this year, ranging from disorderly conduct to assault to homicide.

According to the Office of the State’s Attorney, today there are about 40 active gangs in Montgomery County and 1,150 members. Approximately 3,600 gang members have been identified in the D.C. metropolitan area.

By comparison, Prince George’s County has about 50 gangs with more than 400 members, and Baltimore City has about 170 known street gangs with about 1,300 members, according to state statistics.

The Decmeber Mid-Month edition of the Town Courier is now available:

• Sonya Burke writes, Montgomery County Vies for GE Site:
  

  Montgomery County officials are negotiating with the developers of the GE Technology Park to create a “public safety campus” in Gaithersburg next to the communities of Kentlands and Lakelands along Route 28

• Krista Brick writes, City Council Approves of Skate Spots:
  

  A new skate spot where skateboarders can practice their sport is going to be built in Gaithersburg.

• Sonya Burke writes, City Charges New Fire Fee to Commercial Owners
  

  The city of Gaithersburg is notifying 1,700 commercial owners of a new $50 annual fire permit fee.

This issue also has an opinion piece signed by the members of the Skate Park Committee:

On December 10, the Ad Hoc Committee for Skate Components presented its recommendations to the Mayor and City Council for the City of Gaithersburg. We proposed the creation of a skate spot (a commonly used term to differentiate small skate areas from larger skate plazas or parks) near the front of Lakelands Park facing Main Street. This recommendation has generated considerable controversy including allegations that the advisory process was flawed. Now that we have presented our recommendation to the City Council we would like to put our proposal into a larger context and respond to our critics.