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COLUMBIA (WACH) -- Officers from five states, including South Carolina, are meeting in West Columbia this week for the 2011 Gang Conference. About 400 officers are attending the event. They are discussing the growth of gangs across the country.

The department of corrections is hosting the three day event to equip officers with the knowledge and skills to recognize and combat gang activity in and outside of prisons.

“It's very important that they share information, know really what the extent of the problem is in different parts of the state and that they can work together in a cooperative effort to stem the tide of this problem,” said Clark Newsom with SCDC.

Newsom says about eight percent of the state's prison population is made up of gang members. He says of the more than one hundred gangs identified in South Carolina a little more than 50 are represented in the state's prison system.

Statistics show 32 percent of the nation's cities, towns and rural areas experienced gang problems as far back as 2008. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates there are approximately 27,900 gangs affecting communities around the United States.