Growth of gangs impacts law enforcement resources By:Sue Thackeray , Houston Courier staff 05/22/2005
With an estimated 1,500 confirmed gang members in Montgomery County, the growth of the gang culture has had a significant impact on local law enforcement and the communities inhabited by the potentially dangerous groups. One of the most violent street gangs in the world, the Hispanic gang MS-13, has started to appear in the county, spilling over from Houston, and joining an already-thriving gang population, local law enforcement officials said. MS-13, whose members have been linked to killings throughout the United States, Central and South America, has a relatively small number of members in the county, but it is one of more than a dozen gangs identified in Montgomery County. "The major objective of gangs in this area is selling narcotics," said Detective David Womack, a Conroe police detective who works with the Montgomery County Special Investigation Unit specializing in gang activity. "That's how they make their money. They may commit some thefts, burglaries and robberies, but selling drugs is their number one priority." Most of the county's gangs are concentrated in Conroe. "The city probably has 10 to 12 different gangs that we've identified," Womack said. "Some have five members, and some have 60 members." The gangs have the city divided into different territories for the purpose of selling drugs, he said. The Willis and east Montgomery County areas also have a larger concentration of gang activity. The south and west county areas have some activity, but it is limited. "There are really two different types of gangs - street gangs and prison gangs," he said. "We treat them both pretty much the same." Most gangs are divided along racial and cultural lines. Hispanic and black street gangs are in Conroe, while the white prison gangs such as the Aryan Brotherhood and Aryan Circle are more popular in east county, Womack said. Most street gangs are affiliated either with the Bloods or the Crypts, two loose confederations of rival street gangs formed on the West Coast in the 1980s, according to the FBI Web site. "You may have a local gang that is affiliated with the Crypts, but they don't wear blue (the Crypts' color). They may wear black and gold," Womack said. Every street gang has its own colors, signs, tattoos and symbols. One telltale way law enforcement officers identify gang members is by their tattoos. Each gang has specific tattoos and symbols worn by their members. Some gangs will allow the tattoos to be placed in less conspicuous parts of the body, while members of other gangs, including MS-13, sport their tattoos on their forearms, necks and even foreheads, Womack said. When an inmate is booked into the Montgomery County Jail, part of the booking process includes documenting the inmate's tattoos and questioning about gang status. "Most of the time, we confirm someone is part of a gang by their tattoos," said Cpl. Kerri Sample, who works in classification at the jail. "We ask them on the questionnaire whether they are affiliated with a gang, and sometimes they'll say yes." Once inmates' gang affiliations are confirmed, they are required to sign a form warning them that if any gang activity is observed inside the jail, they will be placed in administrative segregation away from the rest of the jail population. There have been no significant incidents of violence in the jail that have been directly connected to gang activity, said Sgt. Mike Weinzettle, a jail supervisor. "We don't have nearly the problem that the (Texas Department of Criminal Justice) does," Weinzettle said. "Our facility has much closer supervision than TDC does, but I've also talked to some inmates that say most don't want to take their chances with getting caught and possibly getting more charges or a longer sentence." The information garnered during the booking process and supplied by inmates often serves as valuable intelligence for officers focusing on gang activity on the streets. "Our objective right now is to identify gang members and keep an eye on who's doing what within the gangs," Womack said. "We're in a monitoring type of status." The public is also a valuable resource of information about gang activity used by law enforcement. But often fear of retaliation keeps that information from making it to police. Several people approached by The Courier for comment about gang activity in their neighborhoods declined to talk openly about the problem. Violence in local gangs historically has been confined to other gang members and rarely involves innocent victims, Womack said. "You might get some kids at a store and a car drives by and the people inside throw a bunch of gang signs at them," Womack said. "They probably don't even know what the signs mean. But a little confrontation might grow from that, but nothing serious. The serious fights and shootings and other violence have been one gang member on another." Gangs, however, are growing in popularity in this area, and in recent months, the violence has escalated. "In the past six to eight months, there has been a breakdown in the truce, for lack of a better word, between some of the street gangs in regard to drive-by shootings," Womack said. There have been more than a half-dozen drive-by shootings reported in Conroe that are believed to be gang-related in recent months. There have been no serious injuries, but law enforcement officers fear that it is only a matter of time before one of the bullets hits its target or an innocent bystander. Womack urged anyone with information about a gang member or gang activity to call Montgomery County Crime Stoppers at (800) 392-STOP. All calls to Crime Stoppers are anonymous. 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