ATLANTA — A new law that now creates consequences for adults that recruit metro Atlanta kids into gangs will go into effect Saturday.
The law, Senate Bill 44, in part, doles out a mandatory 10-year prison sentence if someone is found guilty of recruiting minors into a gang.
This comes as gang recruitment is becoming harder to track because of the creative ways leaders are connecting with their newest and youngest members.
"It's bad when they see the youngest kid that they dealt with that was actually involved in a gang was 10 years old -- and that's here in Cobb County," said Sgt. Wayne Delk with the Cobb County Police Department.
Cobb County Police hopes the new law would deter gang members from recruiting children across the state because of its heavy sentence.
"With gang members knowing that there's a potential that they would face an additional 10 years mandatory on top of whatever sentence they got for whatever they were charged with if they actually recruited a juvenile, that might bear a little bit heavier on whether or not they would even try to recruit these young people," said Delk. "At least, that's the hope on our end."
Gangs recruit children to commit crimes like breaking into cars and stealing guns, police said. It's because young people won't face the same consequences as adults who would do the same actions.
"A lot of stolen weapons are coming from entering autos, which is why you're seeing more juveniles charged with being in possession of handguns," said Delk. "And most of these handguns are stolen and a lot of them are stolen from vehicles."
Marietta Police previously told 11Alive that some of the leaders' tactics also cause the kids to let their guards down and see gang members as friends and family. Cobb County Police agreed, adding, oftentimes, kids in low-income neighborhoods or from single-parent households.
"Even with kids who come from what we might consider a stable two-parent family if they're not getting certain things from their family, then that interaction with that gang may be filling that void," said Delk.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said the gang's creative recruitment tactics not only hide the recruitment effort behind the events, like BBQs or basketball tournaments, but it also prevents law enforcement from immediately catching on.
Gang recruitment is reaching kids in schools on all levels, including elementary and middle schools, authorities said.
"A Bloods member testified, under oath, 'we have gang members in every high school, every middle school, every elementary school in this county.' My experience showed this is true," John Melvin, the former executive director of the GBI, previously said.
Delk said he also hopes the new law will keep kids away from a life of crime.
"I mean, we're parents, too," said Delk. "It's rough for us to see kids committing these crimes and to start at an early age, being involved in the judicial system on the wrong side."
Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice reported, in the fiscal year 2022, the average daily population in the Regional Youth Detention Centers was around 736 and 233 in the Youth Development Campuses.
It believes 30% in the Regional Youth Detention Centers and 51% in the Youth Development Campus could be or are gang-affiliated.
Police are encouraging parents to try and find options to keep their kids busy during the day over the summer. Delk added the Cobb County Police Athletic League has free programs this summer.