The popular image of gangs called the Bloods, Crips or Latino Kings is that of thugs hanging on street corners in Los Angeles, New York, Camden or Newark.

However, law enforcement agencies say gangs are trying to expand to suburban areas such as Burlington County, where officials are aware of an effort by the Bloods to recruit new members to expand their narcotics trade.

Willingboro Public Safety Director Benjamin Braxton said a gang of Bloods - also known as The United Blood Nation and the East Coast Blood Nation - already have a foothold in Willingboro by recruiting about 25 high school students to join their ranks.

Efforts are under way to recruit more, and police are aware of many with what they call "loose association" with the gang, he said.

So far, Braxton said, the problem is small. They have yet to begin any criminal activity and are, in essence, "members in name only," he said.

Still, police are taking the gang threat seriously and plan to guard against allowing local teenagers to become more deeply involved, he said.

Why? Because gangs are territorial and use violence against rival gangs or those who oppose their interests. Most gangs also are involved in drug trafficking or violent crimes as a means to make money, authorities said.

So far, there have been no violent criminal acts or drug arrests in Willingboro linked to gangs, Braxton said.

"We need to make sure that these loose associations do not become more serious," Braxton said. "That's why we're working with the schools to try and identify the hard-core guys here and weed them out."

Invading suburban towns

Willingboro is not alone. Police in Burlington City and Burlington Township have antigang initiatives up and running. Both departments said they are aware of recruiting efforts by the Bloods, and possibly the Crips, in their towns.

Burlington City Patrolman Michael Ekelburg said city officers have encountered individuals in town who claim to be members of Bloods gangs.

"Whether they're legit or not, we don't know," he said. "At this point, if they tell us they're Blood, we're treating them as such."

Burlington Township police have encountered men suspected of being members of a Crips gang and have found Crips graffiti at a township apartment complex, said Lt. Mike Bellamy. However, an investigation into the men revealed they were not inducted members.

"It turned out they were phony," Bellamy said. "Other than that, I don't have any knowledge of any gang activity in Burlington Township."

Pemberton Township has dealt with gangs in the past and continues to monitor for new activity, said police Chief Steven Emery said.

Bloods, Crips and other gangs in New Jersey

The New Jersey State Police Street Gang Unit believes there are more than 10,000 gang members in towns across New Jersey, including sets of so-called "super gangs" like the Bloods and Crips.

According to the gang-suppression Web site www.knowgangs.com, the Bloods are one of the largest and most violent street gangs in the United States. The group originally formed in Los Angeles during the 1970s and later spread across the United States during the 1980s. Members of the Bloods wear red clothing, often bandanas or rags. A common ritual is to shed blood by stabbing or slashing.

The Bloods' chief rival, the Crips, also were founded in Los Angeles decades ago and spread east to major cities. Members of the Crips wear blue and refer to each other as "Cuzz."

Other large gangs active in New Jersey, according to the state Department of Criminal Justice, are the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation, a violent, mostly Hispanic gang, and the Five Percenters, a Black Muslim-based gang that police say was active in Pemberton Township during the early 1990s.

Authorities said these gangs may have different initiations and customs, but all share a common characteristic, the thirst for profits.

"If they can claim an area as theirs, they can make money," said Lt. Tom Alexander of the New Jersey State Police Street Gangs Unit. "More often than not, it leads to criminal activity."

Untapped areas

Although traditionally associated with urban areas, gang activity is increasing in suburban and rural areas, according to Steve Nawojczyk of North Little Rock, Ark., a nationally recognized researcher and educator on gangs.

That's because there are few, if any, organized activities for youths in those areas, Nawojzyk said.

"Suburban and rural areas are seeing increases," said Nawojczyk, a former county coroner who has researched and lectured about gangs and juvenile violence in 30 states "They don't have supervised activities for kids to participate in. You have to offer things in a positive atmosphere."

Nawojczyk said gangs gain footholds in communities in three ways. Some send recruiters into new territory to try to initiate new gang members. In other cases, a gang may transfer from an area with gang activity to one that has none. Last, many new gangs start in suburban areas after some gang members move from the city to live with relatives, he said.

Law enforcement may also be driving gangs into the suburbs, officials said.

"The suburbs are an untapped area, plus law enforcement in this area have not had to deal with a lot of gang activity and they know that," Ekelburg said. "We're still in our infancy."

Why do people join gangs?

Although money and protection are sometimes factors, several experts agree that most suburban youths join gangs to gain acceptance or surrogate families.

"When we interview gang members, we hear time and time again about a sense of belonging and being part of a group that respects them," said John Moore, director of the National Youth Gang Center in Tallahassee, Fla.

"There's also the excitement of it. Being in a gang can give kids something to do, and it's often secretive," Moore said. "Money is rarely the only reason, but say someone finds that people will pay more for crack down south than in Newark. He might ask people in that town to sell drugs for him. There can be an allure to that."

Combating gangs

Law enforcement agencies say the key to suppressing gang activity is to keep close tabs on gang leaders and members.

"The most important thing we're doing now is gathering intelligence and tracking who (gang members) are and what they're doing," Ekelburg said. "Then we get that information to officers on the street."

Assisting local police departments with intelligence on gangs is the Street Gangs Unit of the New Jersey State Police.

"We try to find out what gangs are where, and who exactly is involved, and in what types of illegal activities," Alexander said. "That way, we can determine exactly where we need to attack."

He said the street gangs unit also is trying to educate teachers, students and neighborhood watch groups about gangs and the signs of gang activity. Occasionally, the unit also arrests gang members involved in serious crimes.

Braxton said police are working with the Willingboro School District to identify high school students believed to be leaders or inducted members of the Bloods gang. He also said officers are on the lookout for an out-of-town gang leader known to be visiting the township to sell drugs and recruit new members.

Gang suppression in schools

Intervention and assistance in schools is considered key, and Braxton said police are working closely with the school district to identify students potentially involved in gangs.

Unless the youths become involved in criminal activity, Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi said there's little police or his office can do. He said school officials are in charge of enforcing dress codes that would prohibit students from wearing attire that may be associated with gang membership.

"Membership in gangs is not a criminal offense," Bernardi said. "We are handcuffed in our ability to regulate criminal activity unless and until they commit criminal activity. It is up to the school to control gang activity that is not criminal in content."

Willingboro school administrators say they are dedicated to doing exactly that. At a school board meeting last week, district security chief Wylie Hinson said the district planned to hire additional security guards, educate teachers to spot gang activity, and create a hot line for students to report incidents of bullying or intimidation.

The district also has notified parents of students believed to be gang members, and prohibited wearing gang paraphernalia, such as bandanas, in schools.

"The directive I've received from the superintendent on gang activity is to go right after it," Hinson said Friday. "We do not want it to fester in our schools. Any offense that may be linked to gang activity is going to get extra attention."

The Lenape Regional High School District also has a strong gang-suppression policy after dealing with an Evesham gang known as the TKO Posse during the early 1990s.

"We stress character education in all three high schools," district spokeswoman Pat Milich said. "Our student handbook also lists gang activity under the discipline code. The first offense is up to a 10-day suspension with possible police intervention."

Email: dlevinsky@phillyBurbs.com mmathis@phillyBurbs.com