The East Coast Gang Investigators Association (ECGIA) was established in 1998 after an enormous outcry for information relating to the East Coast gang situation. The ECGIA, formed from a small group of dedicated Law Enforcement Officials, shared gang related information with one another on a regular basis. As the street gangs and their members grew, so did the networking between these Law Enforcement Officials and others. The need for assistance, training and networking, also grew as these gangs migrated into new communities. Currently the ECGIA has members from across the country and internationally, and we are continually growing. The ECGIA is a non-profit organization that continually strives to provide Law Enforcement Officials with the training and resources they need to stay at the forefront of the ever changing street gang trends and identifiers. The ECGIA and its members go beyond to serve and protect, by training and educating the parents, teachers, professionals, and youth of our communities, in street gang awareness and identification, this is what we the ECGIA, are all about.