Forest County - Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen is visiting every county in Wisconsin to hear concerns and issues from local law enforcement and community leaders.

Van Hollen was in the Nortwoods Friday to talk with people in Forest County about problem they're experiencing.

He says the purpose of these roundtable meetings is to allow people not only in Forest County but across the state to voice their concerns and opinions about their communities. Several concerns such as radio and cell phone communication problems for law enforcement, as well as the lack of police departments on tribal grounds were discussed today.

But one major problem brought up many times was the influx of gang activity and drug problems in Forest County.

Van Hollen along with 36th Assemby District Representative Jeff Mursau of Crivitz say they're seeing more drug and gang activity in rural areas.

Van Hollen tells Newswatch 12, "Part of it is that we have drug dealers who are from Minneapolis, Madison, Milwaukee who find some of these rural areas to be fertile grounds. They're new areas where they can try to develop a clientele where they don't have competition."

Mursau adds, "It seems like it's getting to be a very, very big problem and it'd be nice if we could take and try and do something about that before it's too late and before things get larger than what we can handle."

Both Van Hollen and Mursau say they took several good ideas away from the meeting that they will try to accomplish down in Madison

Van Hollen adds it's important visit rural counties to make sure he can try and do things for them--and then represent those ideas in Madison.