POSTED: Tuesday, October 12, 2010 --- 9:45 p.m.

Gang issues are front and center in Southern Wisconsin.

Officers are reaching out for help to fight a problem they say they can't stop alone.

Drugs, graffiti, guns and gangs, they go hand in hand and they're in our neighborhoods.

It's a problem for more than just police officers.

Parent David Eppihimer says, "I think as a parent it's a big concern. I just want to be sure he's safe."

Gang numbers continue to increase in communities across our area and tonight the Janesville PD gang unit wants parents to know about it. They aren't holding anything back.

Since March the number of confirmed gang members in Janesville has gone from 192 to 232, just some of the information they're sharing with concerned parents at a community meeting.

Kim Blaser is a parent and works with juvenile probation. She says she's there, "Just to gather what to look for, signs and concerns so when dealing with some kids I know what to watch for."

Janesville Parker is just one of the schools Janesville Police are going into and the reason is really simple. They can't fight the problem alone.

Officer Mike Blaser says, "Once people know what they're looking at the communication lines open up. We can talk about and confront accurate information and I think that solves most problems."

In Milwaukee hundreds gathered this afternoon as part of an anti-gang summit. Here again they're talking about a lot more than just law enforcement as prevention.

US Attorney James Santelle says, "It affects not just the neighborhoods and communities that we work and live in, but also economics. It affects academics. It affects everybody."

It's a problem that's not going away and a problem police can't fix alone. They need help.

Officer Blaser says, "We can't be there all the time."

Communication has always been a key for Janesville officers, earlier this year they spent spring break making face to face visits with the families of every documented gang member in the city.