NAC 3 Meeting Notes — 2/12/07
Monocacy Elementary School 7:00 p.m.
Guest Speaker: Detective Robert Marker, gang specialist, City of Frederick Police Department
Topic: Gangs
in
Connie Pryor opened the meeting by introducing
Chief Dine believes in educating and working with the
public. Gangs aren’t new to
The Police have a four-pronged, department-wide initiative that includes:
1) Enforcement/community policing
2) Education
3) Prevention
4) Investigation/intelligence sharing
The Police have Gang Enforcement Brochures, which were distributed to attendees and are part of the Department’s effort to educate the public.
Presenter: Sgt. Earl Rocca
Sgt. Earl Rocca, the NAC 3 coordinator and midnight supervisor for our area, introduced one of NAC 3’s new beat officers, Officer Robert Auge.
Sgt. Rocca reported that there were 355 Calls for Service in the NAC 3 area between Jan. 1 and Feb. 11, 2007.
--90 of these calls were self-initiated, meaning made by the police as they patrolled certain hot spots
--84 calls were non-accident traffic-related incidents, such as traffic stops, speeding, etc.
--6 calls resulted in an arrest (2 juveniles, 4 traffic arrests)
No criminal arrests were made.
Sgt. Rocca reminded everyone that citizens can access Police Crime Reports via the Spires GIS System on the City’s webpage http://www.cityoffrederick.com. (Note that there is a delay in processing the information before it is posted.)
Sgt. Rocca’s direct line is 301-600-1223. He works 9 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. on a rotating shift. If you don’t get an immediate response from him, it may be his off. However, he will get back to you as soon as he is able.
NEW! Any citizen can sign up to get on the List Server for the Police Department. You would then automatically receive all of the Police Departments news releases. If interested, go to <http://lists.fredco-md.net/mailman/listinfo/fpdmediadistribution
Detective Marker has been a
To leave anonymous tips and clues regarding crimes or
gangs, call 301-662-1424.
In 2000, through experience and education, Detective Marker
“evolved” into the position of Gang Specialist for the Police Department. He
pointed out that he is not an expert but has become very knowledgeable about
gangs. Although he may not know an answer to a gang-related question, he knows
how to get it. When necessary, he has resources and experts he can turn to. He
works closely with other law enforcement officers in
Call him if you feel your child is being influenced by or
involved with gangs, or if gang graffiti appears on your property. The graffiti
is documented and must be removed immediately.
Detective Marker delivered an informative PowerPoint presentation and distributed brochures. Many of the slides were of local gang members (their faces blurred out) and the graffiti and/or hand signals associated with their gang.
Gang members don’t just come from poor areas. They also live in homes in nice, upper-class
neighborhoods. One of the Detective Marker’s slides showed two adolescent boys
in a backyard in
Gangs are defined as groups of people who form an allegiance for a common purpose and commit violent, unlawful or criminal activities. Today’s street gangs may claim control over a certain territory in their community, and create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation there.
Gangs are often involved with narcotics, which makes them a profit.
Gang members can be identified by how they dress, speak and behave. However, juveniles or adults that dress a certain way don’t necessarily belong to a gang. Gang life bleeds into fashion and fashion bleeds into gang life. Young people are influenced by videos, rap music, TV and movies that romanticize gangs and portray the gang lifestyle as an easy road to success. Young people see people in the media as “cool.”
It is not illegal to belong to a gang.
The following are
documented gangs in
* West Side Crips (umbrella organization for the Outlaw Gangster Crips and the Money Makin Gangter Crips)
* Outlaw Gansta (Gangster) Crips
* Money Making Gangster Crips
* Murder Hill Mafia Crips (associated with West Side Crips)
* B6, Bottom 6 Street Boys,
* MS-13 (a Hispanic gang, wears blue, shows #13, likes Nike Swoosh, have cliques and clique leader; hold meetings on Sundays that dole out severe punishment, often beatings for members who don’t do what they are told)
* Sur-13 (
*
* Bloods
* AMC (Amber Meadows Crew (affiliated with Bloods, which is throughout the city, not just Amber Meadows)
* CMG (Certified Mother Gangsters, Southside Brims; their
graffiti “signature” is a five-point star)
* COBRAZ (suspected Bloods, has 10 members, beat up people wearing blue)
* JHU (John Hanson Uptown, local gang, wear red)
* PA Mob (largest of local crew; criminal activity: drugs,
robbery, assault, homicides, weapon-related crimes; wear all red)
* TAS (Tight As Shit; middle school-age girls)
* TAB (Tight Ass Bitches)
* J Block, J City Block (local gang originated in
None of these gangs is limited to one neighborhood. They may have developed in an area but are now throughout the city.
Not all gang members in the area are from, or live in,
Local neighborhood gangs often continue on or grow while
their members are incarcerated together in the
It isn’t easy to get out of a gang just because you are out of prison.
When inmates are released from prison they have to give an address where they will be living.
Gang members who aren’t from the area may move here because they have relatives living here or, perhaps, because the mother of their children has moved into the area.
Money also brings gangs to the area. If there is a market for drug sales, the gangs go where there is the most profit. Like any business, the market is driven by supply and demand.
The average age of a gang member is between 13-21 years old. However, gang members can be as young as 9 years old.
Those who join gangs often have low self-esteem, feel unloved at home, do poorly in school, and have a hard time making decisions (they’re followers) and communicating with others.
Many gang members come from single-parent homes and have a lot of unsupervised free time.
Most gang members are boys, but 10 percent of all gang members are girls, and their number is growing
Kids join for many reasons and each case is individual. Some reasons include: excitement and fun; a sense of belonging; companionship; peer pressure; attention or status; financial gain; the desire to intimidate; need for protection; and a failure to realize what being in a gang means.
Living in a gang-infested area or having a family member in a gang increases the possibility of a kid joining one.
Lack of adequate community youth support systems; too much unsupervised time; poverty; lack of self-worth; poor decision-making and communication skills; domestic violence at home; media that glorifies violence; parental denial of a gang problem.
Sudden drop in school grades; disinterest in school; withdrawal from family activities; use of unknown vocabulary (gangs have slang words); sudden change in friend; evidence of drug abuse; sudden affluence; and use of hand signals (gangs often use these).
Desire for excessive privacy; having a new nickname; developing a bad attitude towards family, school and authorities; purchase of, or desire to wear, clothing of all one color or style; wearing altered headwear (e.g., gang members often put gang information on the inside band of ball caps); changing appearance with special haircuts, eyebrow markings or tattoos; use of gang graffiti on folders, desks, walls, and buildings; and staying out later than usual
* Parents need to be diligent and nosy. They should check on the Internet sites kids are visiting, and read notes and text messages sent to friends. (Police often get gang information from gang web sites and sites like MySpace.com.) Monitor kids’ videos, TV viewing and music.
* Discuss the negative consequences of gang-related actions.
* Know your kids friends, where they live, what they like to do for fun. Discourage and help reduce idle time. Encourage organized, structured activities like sports.
* Stay informed; be involved with your kids. Set a good example at home by not abusing alcohol or drugs, and deal with anger in a healthy way.
Most of the violence associated with gangs in
The Maryland State Assembly is looking at stronger legislation regarding gangs. Someday it might be against the law to be in a gang.
Connie Pryor presented Detective Marker with a Certificate of Appreciation for his informative presentation. Detective Marker said that he is available to talk to schools, church groups, community organizations, etc.
Detective Marker drew the names for NAC 3’s raffle. The winners of “The Frederick City Trivia Book” were Ron and Teresa Linger.
The meeting adjourned at 8:40 p.m.
Stay tuned for details!
To learn more: www.cityoffrederick.com. On the left-hand side, scroll down to the “Neighborhood Advisory Council” link and then click on the “NAC3” sub link.