1. Matthew O’Deane, PhD & Carter Smith, J.D., Ph.D. (ABD), 2010 Apr 27 http://www.lawofficer.com/news-and- articles/articles/online/2010/gangs_in _the_military.html

2.  Members of most street gangs have been identified on military installations worldwide.  Although most prevalent in the Army, the Army Reserves and the National Guard, gang activity is found throughout all branches of the military.  The extent of gang presence in the armed services is difficult to determine since many enlisted gang members conceal their gang affiliation.

3.  Military and police departments across the U.S. have been infiltrated by gangs wanting access to weapons or sensitive information regarding investigations  The threat need not come from the traditional worker.  Those who control the finances and personnel assignments, as well as those who oversee logistics shipments can exploit their positions for the gang's benefit.  Those holding dual positions must be watched.

4.  Many gang members have bypassed these prohibitions and enlisted in the military by failing to report past criminal convictions or by using fraudulent documents.  Some gang members conceal past convictions or are told by recruiters they can enlist as long as they do not have any felony arrests or convictions.  Some enter the criminal justice system as juveniles and their criminal records are sealed and unavailable to recruiters performing criminal background checks.  It is the policy of the U.S. Army (and other branches) to provided equal opportunity and treatment for all soldiers without regard to race, color, religion, gender, or national origin.

5.  Dependent children of service members are involved with gangs and bring gang problems onto secure military facilities.  These children are potential candidates for gang membership because of the transient nature of their families.  Dependents of military members may be involved in gang-involved drug distribution and assaults both on and off of military bases.

6.  The impact of gang members in the military might be compared to the rate of gang crime in a city of over 1 million inhabitants  The rate of military gang-related crime could more accurately be compared to the rate of gang-related crime in a large company, Wal-Mart or McDonalds, as examples.  Employees are distributed throughout many locations and are expected to favorably represent the company in their communities.  Denial is not a recommended response, but it occurs at all levels of government and communities.  When leaders of large, urban police departments refuse to acknowledge a gang presence in their cities, this may not mean gangs are absent.  Politics is one of the factors that make it increasingly difficult for police officers to eliminate gangs from their community.  Gang migration and other growth indicators of gangs can actually be aided by official denial.

7.  These are people who have "overcome mistakes." There is no test for ″ overcoming mistakes. ″ Both traditional extremists and street gangs tell their people how to ″ get past ″ the questions that police ask them.  They thought that the symbol looked cool (graffiti and tattoos). In the gang world, false representing membership in a gang by displaying symbols of a gang you are not a member of may result in grievous bodily harm or death. If a non-gang member tattooed or painted a symbol he/she (and the tattoo artist) would be sought out by members of the gang that symbol represented as a perpetrator. One of the reasons for this predictable response is what is known as false flagging.  The problem is not rampant. Waiting until a problem is “rampant” gives the gangs an unnecessary head start. In 1998, the FBI rate membership in the military the number three reason for migratory gangs (after formal-corporate employment and informal-laborer employment).

8. Members of nearly every major street gang, including the Bloods, Crips, Black Disciples, Gangster Disciples, Hells Angels, Latin Kings, The 18th Street Gang, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), Mexican Mafia, Nortenos, Surenos, Vice Lords, and various white supremacist groups, have been documented on military installations both domestically and internationally.

9.  Many enlisted gang members conceal their gang affiliation  Military authorities may not recognize gang affiliation or may be inclined not to report such incidences.  Enlistment of gang members could lead to the worldwide expansion of U.S.-based gangs.  Accurate data reflecting gang-related incidences occurring on military installations is limited because the military isn’t required to report criminal offense statistics occurring on military bases to the FBI.

10.  Matthew O’Deane is an investigator for the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office and a former police officer, detective and sergeant of the National City (Calif.) Police Department. He holds a PhD in public policy from Walden University and is an adjunct professor for Kaplan and National Universities.  Carter F. Smith is a retired U.S. Army CID Special Agent and a founding board member of the Tennessee Gang Investigators Association. He is a doctoral candidate at Northcentral University in Prescott, Ariz., and an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Middle Tennessee State University.

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