Gangs Not Only on the Streets and in the Schools, But on the Internet Too

Gangs in Colorado Springs: On the Streets, In School, On Myspace

Any law enforcement officer in Colorado Springs will tell you gangs are a growing problem. With more transients moving to Colorado Springs from southern California and Chicago, local gangs have grown.

They continue to recruit new members. They have even recruited kids who are still in elementary school. Most of them get dragged in by older brothers or family members.

For nearly nine years, Ingrid McDonald has worked as a school resource officer in Colorado Springs. She said there is gang involvement in all grade levels. She said, "They're writing it in the graffiti in or around their schools or neighborhoods... they're writing things in their notebooks."

Colorado Springs gang members might not be hardcore gangsters, but McDonald said "wanna-be" gangsters are sometimes worse. She said, "They have to make a name for themselves... and sometimes they'll do that in really inappropriate ways."

Tom Peterson is a community parole officer for the Department of Corrections. As the city grows, he said so does the number of gangs. Peterson said, "We saw small sets of Crips and Bloods that were transplants from the west coast; now as the city's grown bigger we see more midwest gangs, gangs from chicago, etc."

Peterson said most gang members come from rough families. "So if a gang offers them some money, some love, some attention, that's a strong pull for a young guy."

Whether it is drug dealing, identity theft or other crime, he said they are all in it for money. He said, "As the gangsters say it, the 'S' with the two lines through it [$] is a big part of what they do and why they do it."

Peterson said street turf is constantly changing. "I mean if we talk about this a year from now, the conversation would probably be different."

Colorado Springs Police Lieutenant Thomas Harris said, "Do we have gang members? Yes. Is it a major problem? Not at this time."

Harris runs "COMMIT," the city's community impact team. By patrolling "hotspots," he said officers are targeting gang activity. He said, "We're looking at shots fired, disturbances, violent assaults, those are the kind of cases we look at."

They have partnered with other law enforcement, including FBI, ATF, probation and parole. Earlier in May, they busted a major gang network, seizing "four handguns, one rifle, 15 felonies, 11 misdemeanors."

Officers are also tracking graffiti. Harris said, "[Graffiti] can be an indicator of trouble brewing."
However, it is not just graffiti. Gangs have also logged onto www.myspace.com.

Local profiles show all sorts of affiliations: Bloods, Crips, Surenos, Nortenos. Users even post pictures of themselves, wearing gang colors and flashing hand signs. They also comment on each other's profiles, encouraging membership and making threats.

Officer McDonald said, "We want them to know that we're looking, and it's a challenge, because they'll change their profiles on us."

She said some of the content could put myspace users and their families in danger. She said, "When we find this, the school resource officers usually will confront those kids."

She said most parents have no clue what their kids are posting. "The parents need to start paying attention to that. That's where kids are putting out things to other public."

She said the best way to prevent gangs starts at home. "It doesn't hurt to still have that open communication, so they don't have to be afraid of us if something is going to happen."

Local law enforcement urges the community to report graffiti, report crime and talk with your kids.