The relationship between the central coast and criminal street gangs is unique, in that the roots of these organizations lie within central coast prison walls. What began more than 30 years ago has grown into a vast web of criminal organizations which are operating at many levels throughout the state of California.

In 2001, with the realization that what occurs in places such as San Francisco impacts activities in areas as far away as Los Angeles, a group of motivated law enforcement officers came together and created what is now known as the Central Coast Gang Investigator Association(CCGIA). Among it’s many goals, CCGIA aims to create a forum wherein gang intelligence can be disseminated on a massive scale, ensuring what is known to the largest law enforcement agencies is also known to the most rural. CCGIA strives to provide this relevant advanced officer training at an affordable rate, especially in times of budgetary cuts, where investigators are increasingly forced to finance their own training. Tuition is always kept low, so that officers seeking a gang investigator conference or other gang investigation training, have a place to come, even when they have to pay for their own training.

In its first year, CCGIA’s founding members worked hard to gather quality instructors with a passion for teaching. These individuals were more often than not “street cops” with a wealth of information and an eagerness to share their knowledge. Their efforts culminated in CCGIA’s first conference which was held in Santa Cruz, California and regarded as one of the most relevant training opportunities available. Since that time, CCGIA’s gang investigator conference attendance has nearly doubled in size, with a majority of conference attendees being repeat offenders. Time and time again, surveys contain comments that “this is the best conference offered” and attendees feel they “got their money’s worth”.

Throughout CCGIA’s history, its board members have continued their work as full time peace officers dedicated to the mission of sharing their knowledge on a nonprofit basis.

As the 20 year anniversary of CCGIA approaches, all of the people involved with the association strive to keep providing quality training, relevant information sharing, and assisting agencies with their priorities at the forefront of our mission.