June 27, 2008
Police Report a Reduction in Violent Gang Crime
By Rebecca Plevin
Observer Staff Writer
The Northern Virginia region has seen a “drastic reduction” in violent gang crime, but the police and local communities must stay on top of the problem, special agent Eric Vega told about 30 people at the Herndon Police Department Thursday night. Vega, an officer with the Virginia State Police and a member of the Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force, spoke about recognizing and reporting gang activity in the community during an information session sponsored by the Herndon Police Crime Prevention Council.
There is less violent gang crime in the region now, but reported gang crime has increased, according to Herndon Police Chief Toussaint Summers, chairman of the gang task force. Summers attributed the rise in gang crime to community members now reporting gang graffiti in their neighborhoods. There is not a concrete number of gangs in the region or a specific location that is high in gang activity because gang members are “very fluid,” Vega said.
Vega shared anecdotes of his own experiences fighting gangs as he displayed pictures of gang members’ graffiti, tattoos, clothing and hand signals. Gang graffiti, which he called the “newspaper of the street,” identifies a gang’s presence in a neighborhood and marks its territory, he said. When people come across gang graffiti in their neighborhoods and schools, Vega said, people should read, record or photograph the graffiti, then report and remove it.
He said certain tattoos can link people to specific gangs and hand signs can communicate gang affiliations. Clothing can be an “indicator” of gang activity, he said, but residents and police officers should not jump to conclusions based on a person’s style of dress.
He encouraged parents to monitor their children’s music interests, Internet activity and video-game use. He said the lyrics of some rock, rap and reggaetón songs convey gang themes and some video games, like Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, promote gang crime. Children also have access to the gang culture through the Internet and YouTube, he said. Parents “need to listen to what’s being put out there,” Vega said.
Vega said that when residents suspect gang crime in their neighborhoods or when students hear about gang activity at their schools, they should notify their local police departments immediately. He said people could also report that information on the task force’s hotline, 1-866-NO-GANGS.
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