MADISON, Wis. -- Dane County already has one anti-gang task force but Madison and county leaders said that another one is necessary to curtail a growing problem.

City and county officials formally announced the new group at a press conference at Community Solutions, located at 501 E. Badger Rd., on Monday.

The new Enhanced Dane County Youth Gang Prevention Task Force is being formed to find solutions to what experts say is a communitywide problem. The other group is called the Youth Gang Prevention Task Force.

Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk and Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said that the second task force is needed to deal with the changes in gangs, specifically more female gang members and increasing violence, WISC-TV reported.

The new task force will be headed up by former East High Principal Milt McPike and former police Capt. Luis Yudice. The men are expected to lead a large, countywide group that will take what the current gang task force knows and then implement strategies to keep a lid on a festering problem.

McPike said that the gang problem is crossing city boundaries as well as racial and ethnic lines.

"I think we can't blame each other anymore and … it's not just Madison," McPike said. "It's Dane County, and it has no color. So you might as well get ready for that."

Yudice said that cooperation is key to ganging up on the gang epidemic.

"This is really going to require a community strategy and we are really going to have to roll up our sleeves and think very creatively in order to be able to address the root causes of some of these issues," Yudice said.

Officials said that the new task force will focus on three overriding strategies:

Preventing kids from getting into gangs.
Intervening when gang members want to leave.
Using law enforcement to crack down on crime.

A countywide youth survey has found that the percentage of middle and high school students joining gangs over the last 10 years has remained the same, but the population has soared, WISC-TV reported.