Gangs on the Rise

Gangs are using middle schools and high schools as venues for recruitment and drug distribution as they migrate to suburban communities and expand their influence.

Gang Proliferation

Gang migration from urban communities to suburban and rural locations, which began more than two decades ago, is a significant and growing problem in most areas of the country. Gangs are now fully entrenched in many communities across the nation. Most gangs formed in major cities and expanded into neighboring communities during the 1970s, continued their expansion in the 1980s, and launched into full-scale migration during the 1990s. Many notable gangs, such as Chicago-based Gangster Disciples, Black P. Stones, and Latin Kings, initially formed as organizations for political and social reform during the 1960s. However, by the early 1970s the focus of a number of these gangs shifted from reform to criminal activity for profit. At this time gang activity was primarily confined to large cities.

Throughout the 1970s gangs became better organized and continued to expand their activities into neighboring communities. The movement of gang members to suburban areas resulted in some territorial conflicts between rival gang members competing for the new territory, in addition to territorial conflicts with the few existing suburban gang members. The gang members who migrated from urban areas often formed new, neighborhood-based local gangs. These local gangs generally controlled their territories through violence and intimidation. In addition, they sought to increase their size by recruiting new members, who were typically from single-parent, low-income households, and who had a limited education. Local gangs engaged in a wide range of criminal activity, including retail-level drug distribution.

During the 1980s, gangs that engaged in drug trafficking in major cities began to expand their drug distribution networks into suburban communities influenced by local gangs. The larger gangs controlled drug distribution in city drug markets; they were motivated to move into adjoining communities to generate additional income by capitalizing on burgeoning powder cocaine and crack cocaine abuse. Large urban gangs generated millions of dollars from trafficking illicit drugs in urban and suburban areas; this income enabled the gangs to recruit new members and to force smaller local gangs to either disband or align with them, thereby increasing their dominance. To enhance profits from drug trafficking and other crimes, large urban gangs also deployed members to locate new drug markets throughout the country, including in suburban and rural communities. As various gangs attempted to expand nationally, they often were met with initial resistance by local gangs. This resistance resulted in an increased number of homicides and drive-by shootings in suburban communities.

Gangs became entrenched in communities throughout the nation, and gang-related violence and drug trafficking became fully ingrained in suburban areas throughout the 1990s. Because of the significant levels of violence attendant to gang-related criminal activity, federal, state, and local law enforcement officials devoted significant resources to fighting gun crime and disrupting the most violent gangs. This crackdown on violent gang activity targeted key gang leaders in an effort to dismantle highly structured gangs. In conjunction with this crackdown, federal law enforcement officials began to target violent gang members from Mexico and Central America, most of whom were in the United States illegally. Moreover, a large number of gang members in prison formed associations along ethnic lines during this time in an attempt to protect their operations, giving rise to large, influential prison gangs. As these gang members were released from prison, they maintained contact with gang leaders in prison and used their influence to control street gangs in urban and suburban areas.

Gang migration from larger cities to suburban and rural areas is an ongoing concern for law enforcement. According to analysis of NDTS 2008 data, the percentage of law enforcement agencies in the United States reporting gang activity in their jurisdictions increased from 45 percent in 2004 to 58 percent in 2008. Moreover, the percentage of jurisdictions reporting gang activity during this time frame increased in each of the seven NGIC/GangTECC regions; however, the most significant increases were in the East and Southeast Regions, most likely the result of the migration of gang members from urban areas such as New York, New York; Chicago, Illinois; and Los Angeles, California, to smaller jurisdictions in these regions. In Chicago, gang movement to suburban areas can be attributed to several factors: the breakdown of traditional hierarchical gang structures resulting from law enforcement targeting of gang leaders, the razing of some large Chicago public housing projects, an abundance of wholesale illicit drug suppliers, and the expectation of high profits from new suburban drug operations.

Gang migration from urban areas has led to the recruitment of new, younger gang members in many suburban and rural communities. According to the most recent biennial School Crime Supplement to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) National Crime Victimization Survey,1 the percentage of suburban students ages 12-18 who reported that gangs were present at school during the previous 6 months increased 17 percent from 2003 to 2005 after remaining stable from 2001 to 2003, and the percentage of rural students reporting likewise increased 33 percent from 2003 to 2005 after decreasing (8%) from 2001 to 2003. In comparison, percentages of both total students and urban students reporting gangs present at school increased steadily from 2001 to 2005 (20% and 24%, respectively). Gang activity at schools is rising, in part, because gangs are using middle schools and high schools as venues for recruitment and drug distribution. Law enforcement agencies in several jurisdictions in eastern states report that gangs are directing teenage members who had dropped out of school to reenroll, primarily to recruit new members and sell drugs.

Gang Membership

Gang membership in the United States was conservatively estimated at 1 million members as of September 2008, based on analysis of federal, state, and local law enforcement reporting—an increase from an estimated 800,000 members in 2005. Current estimates include approximately 900,000 gang members residing within local communities across the country and more than 147,000 documented gang members incarcerated in federal, state, and local correctional facilities, according to state and federal corrections data. Increased gang membership is most likely the result of gang recruitment efforts and the release of incarcerated gang members; however, more comprehensive law enforcement reporting and improved gang awareness may also have contributed to an increase in the number of gang members identified by some law enforcement agencies.

Regionally, gang membership varies significantly. States in the Pacific, Southwest, and Central Regions rank highest in the percentage of the population identified as gang members. In addition, these same regions have the highest ratio of gang members per law enforcement officer.

Gang Types

Gangs vary extensively regarding membership, structure, age, and ethnicity. However, three basic types of gangs have been identified by gang investigators: street gangs, prison gangs, and outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs).

Street Gangs

Street gangs that operate throughout most of the country are a significant threat because they are the largest and control the greatest geographical area. Therefore, criminal activities such as violence and drug trafficking perpetrated by street gangs pose the greatest threat. The threat becomes magnified as national- and regional-level street gangs migrate from urban areas to suburban and rural communities, expanding their influence in most regions and broadening their presence outside the United States to develop associations with DTOs and other criminal organizations in Mexico, Central America, and Canada.

• Currently, 11 national-level street gangs have been identified in the United States, and associates or members have been identified in foreign countries, according to analysis of federal, state, and local law enforcement information. Established cells in foreign countries assist gangs operating in the United States in further developing associations with DTOs and other criminal organizations in those countries. National gangs typically have several hundred to several thousand members nationwide who operate in multiple regions; they may have cells in foreign countries with members who assist the U.S.-based gangs, further developing associations with DTOs and other criminal organizations in those countries.
  
  
• Regional-level street gangs2 increasingly distribute drugs at the wholesale level. At least five street gangs, specifically Florencia 13, Fresno Bulldogs, Latin Disciples, Tango Blast, and United Blood Nation, have been identified as operating at a regional-level. Typically, regional-level gangs are organized, with several hundred to several thousand members. Regional-level gangs may have some members in foreign countries and maintain ties to DTOs and other criminal organizations operating in the United States.
  
  
• Local street gangs, occasionally referred to as neighborhood-based gangs or neighborhood-based drug crews, pose a considerable problem for local law enforcement and a concern for federal law enforcement. Currently, most street gangs are local-level gangs that operate in single locations. Local street gangs usually range in membership from three to several hundred members. Most of these gangs engage in violence in conjunction with a variety of crimes, including retail-level drug distribution; however, they usually have no direct ties to DTOs or other criminal organizations. However, several law enforcement agencies have reported that a few local gangs have established ties to wholesale-level drug traffickers operating along the U.S.–Mexico border. In addition, law enforcement officials in communities along the U.S.–Mexico border have noted an increase in the number of local gang members establishing dual membership with their counterpart gangs in Mexico.

Prison Gangs

Prison gangs pose a serious domestic threat, particularly national-level prison gangs that affiliate with Mexican DTOs and maintain substantial influence over street gangs in the communities in which they operate. Prison gangs are highly structured criminal networks that operate within the federal and state prison systems. Furthermore, these gangs operate in local communities through members who have been released from prison. Released members typically return to their home communities and resume their former street gang affiliations, acting as representatives of their prison gang to recruit street gang members who perform criminal acts on behalf of the prison gang.

Prison gangs often control drug distribution within correctional facilities and heavily influence street-level distribution in some communities. Prison gangs exert considerable control over midlevel and retail-level drug distribution in the Southwest Region and in southern California. Their trafficking activities are facilitated through their connections to Mexican DTOs, which ensure access to a continuous supply of illicit drugs that are distributed through their networks in prison or are supplied to affiliated street gangs.

• National-level prison gangs pose a significant threat, since most maintain some type of relationship with DTOs. Of the five identified national-level prison gangs, two have members or associates in at least two foreign countries. Prison gangs are well organized and governed by established sets of rules and codes of conduct that are rigorously enforced by gang leaders. For example, California-based Mexican Mafia (La Eme) uses fear and intimidation to control Hispanic street gangs whose members are in prison and on the street in California. Such control gives La Eme command over 50,000 to 75,000 Sureños gang members and associates.
  
  
• Regional-level prison gangs pose a more modest, but growing, threat because they are increasingly developing associations with DTOs. Regional-level prison gangs have organizational structures that are similar to those of national-level gangs but typically are limited to operating in one or two state prison systems. The most significant regional-level prison gangs operate in Texas, and most have ties to at least one Mexican DTO.
  
  
• Local- or state-level prison gangs, particularly those operating along the U.S.–Mexico border, pose a serious concern to local law enforcement officials. Some local prison gangs along the U.S.–Mexico border maintain longstanding ties to Mexican DTOs. Local prison gangs typically operate within the department of corrections in a single state. As members are released from prison, they often settle in local communities in which they recruit and associate with local street gang members and conduct criminal activities on behalf of the prison gang.

Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs

OMG-related criminal activity poses a threat to public safety in local communities in which these gangs operate because of their wide-ranging criminal activity, propensity to use violence, and ability to counter law enforcement efforts. OMGs are highly structured criminal organizations whose members engage in criminal activities such as violent crime, weapons trafficking, and drug trafficking. OMGs maintain a strong centralized leadership that implements rules regulating membership, conduct, and criminal activity. As of June 2008 state and local law enforcement agencies estimate that between 280 and 520 OMGs are operating at the national, regional, and local levels. OMGs range in size from a single chapter to hundreds of chapters worldwide. Current law enforcement intelligence estimates indicate that more than 20,000 validated OMG members, divided among hundreds of OMGs, reside in the United States.

• National-level OMG criminal activity poses a serious national domestic threat. National-level OMGs are a considerable concern to law enforcement because they are highly structured organizations with memberships ranging into the thousands, maintaining strong associations with transnational DTOs and other criminal organizations. In addition, national-level OMGs maintain criminal networks of regional and local motorcycle clubs, commonly referred to as “support,” “puppet,” or “duck” clubs, whose members conduct criminal activities in support of the larger OMGs, and who are a source for new members.3 Some members of support clubs have acquired employment with private businesses or government agencies, which enables them to provide national-level OMGs with business, government, and financial information that can be used to protect their criminal enterprises, according to open source and published law enforcement information.

• Regional-level OMGs are highly structured organizations that range in size from 50 to several hundred members. In the United States 109 regional-level OMGs have been identified by gang investigators; most support one of the national-level OMGs. Several regional-level OMGs maintain independent associations with transnational DTOs and other criminal organizations.

• Local-level OMGs typically operate in a single state or in a few neighboring states and have fewer than 50 members. They are often support clubs for regional- and national-level OMGs. Local-level OMGs usually have no ties to DTOs or to other criminal organizations.

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1. In 2005, the unit response rate for this survey did not meet the National Center for Education Statistics statistical standards; therefore, interpret the data with caution. Data for 2005 is for the 2005-2006 school year. The biennial data for 2007 is for the 2007-2008 school year and has not been released. For more information on 2005, see Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2007, Appendix A, available at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/iscs07.pdf.

2. Local and regional street gangs, except for a few significant regional-level gangs, are too numerous to list and are, therefore, referenced wherever applicable.

3. The term “support club” refers to smaller gangs whose members regularly associate with or are friends of one of the national-level gangs.

Source: National Gang Intelligence Center, staffed and supported by a number of partnering agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), NDIC, and United States Marshals Service (USMS).