The Office of National Drug Control Policy’s Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) runs the database, according to The Washington Post.
The office said GangNet had been in use for about 10 years in the area and has about 7,800 gang members in its database.
The data gathered is only used for intelligence purposes and can’t be used for the basis of probable cause to arrest someone, The Washington Post reported.
Suspects who meet two criteria from a gang member identification list are added to the database.
That list includes admitting to being a gang member, being identified as a gang member by a reliable source, having gang tattoos, wearing gang attire, being associated with gang members, or having been arrested with gang members, according to The Washington Post.
Entries are deleted from the system if the person has no criminal activity on their record for five years.
