by Al Valdez
(Reprinted with permission from Police Magazine.)
The street gang culture in our country is dynamic. It is always under pressure from the criminal justice system, society and other gangs. It is only logical to accept and understand why we may see some unique changes within this culture. No one can predict exactly what will change. But for those of us who work in the street, there may be some warning signals.
You know as well as I do that it is the attitude and behavior that makes a person a gang member or makes an incident gang-related. Gang behaviors may be transient in nature for some gang members. For others, gang behavior may be a part of daily life. These gang behaviors and attitudes are based on a code of conduct.
Sometimes the rules of this code are written down. But more often than not, they are based on traditions passed down by word of mouth. As gang members get older, they may also begin to re-evaluate their associations and behaviors. We have example after example of rival gang members working together to make money, especially in the illegal drug markets. Recently, older rival gang members have formed a group to make money through illegal financial activities. Such groups have become very mobile, often traveling within and between states.
Several factors emerge that may account for this: money, age and mobility. As mentioned before (June 2001), a polarization based on age exists in several parts of the country. Older gang members, putting aside their youngster street gang rivalries, are working together. For these groups, criminal activities appear to be more organized, sophisticated and cover a wider geographical area.
If behavior is so important, why look at how someone looks or dresses? Many gang members have a unique mentality toward peer and rival gang members, non-gang members, law enforcement and society. Sometimes their outward appearance becomes an extension of this mentality. For many gang members this may be demonstrated through unique dress styles, tattoos, words and graffiti. These characteristics are still common with many street gangs across the country. However, because they have been used by law enforcement to assist in identifying, investigating and prosecuting gang members, some gang members will no longer use them.
Encounters with these types of gang members will often result in a denial of gang affiliation or membership. Clothing styles may be more contemporary. In the last year I have spoken to many gang officers across the country who have told me they have some gang members “who don’t look like gang members.” I guess one can develop a valid argument that it is human nature to stereotype. At times, maybe criminal justice professionals have done that when it comes to identifying suspected gang members. If a person does not look like a gang member, they probably aren’t. Or are they?
To prove this point about stereotyping I conducted a little experiment in the city I live in. Just an informal exercise to show you how stereotyping works. I went into a local discount store wearing a suit and tie. Teeth brushed, hair combed (what’s left of it), ready for court. Immediately, I was asked if I could be helped. Wherever I went in the store I was smiled at by employees and asked if I could be helped. One young male employee told me, “I’ll be right around the corner if you need anything, sir.” Pretty cool customer service, right?
About one hour later, with the same employees still there, I returned to the store. Except, this time, I looked a little different. My hair was messed up, I had a pair of old shorts on and my favorite yard work tee-shirt (you know, the kind with a few holes). I received a different reaction in the store with this little change in appearance. I followed the same route and didn’t act any differently. No one asked me if I needed help. No one smiled at me. In fact, I was followed around the store by two plain-clothes civilian security officers. I took my partner, who was taken aback by the change in attitude.
I think it is safe to say I was judged based on how I appeared. As police officers we should try not to fall into this chasm. Stereotyping subjects based on how they look may cause the misidentification of suspected gang members. Today, gang members can come from any walk of life, from any social economic background, from any part of your community. This could become an officer safety hazard. Based on the way someone is dressed you may conclude, “not a banger” and become a little more complacent.
As stated earlier, it is the behavior and actions that make an incident gang-related. It is this special mentality that makes a person a gang member. This mentality may be diagnosed by observing specific kinds of behaviors, actions and words. Granted, for many gang members the traditional indicia of street gang membership will be evident. However, it appears that for a growing number of gang members this might not be true.
Some gang members try to hide their membership by changing a dress style, riding in a different car, going to college, having a job or living in an affluent neighborhood. Not everyone is a gang member, but those with the unique behaviors, attitudes and actions that are associated with the gang culture probably are.
What I am suggesting is we should be prepared to see some changes within the street gang culture. As more criminal justice pressure is brought on violent street gang crimes, some may move into non-violent crimes that generate money. This move may be into the drug trafficking business or financial-based crimes like identity theft or computer crimes. We have already seen street gangs use the Internet for communicating, issuing challenges and selling drugs.
As these transitions are made, you might notice a change in general appearance and you may find the gang member you are dealing with is also a little older than you would expect. Don’t be surprised if you find a larger number of female gang associates or female gang members who are working these non-violent crimes.
These gang members may also be more mobile than traditional gang members. Mobile in the sense that inter- and intra-state travel will become necessary as they protect their financial turf. Traditional rivalries of younger years will be set aside. Some experts have referred to these gangs as proto-organized crime groups.
Certainly, they will share some, but not all the characteristics of La Cosa Nostra style organized crime families. If these gangs defy the traditional LCN definition, how do we classify them? They are somewhere between street gangs and organized crime and they’re not prison gang oriented. These gangs will probably continue to evolve and may even grow in size and number. Maybe we should call them mobile gangs with a financial turf orientation. Translated into our language, this means probably a little more work coming our way. Be safe!
Al Valdez is an investigator for the Orange County (Calif.) District Attorney’s Office.
This article is reprinted with permission from Police Magazine, online at www.PoliceMag.com.
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