There are 33,000 Gangs with 1.4 Million Members in America; Gangs Have Infiltrated Every Branch of the U.S. Military

U.S. Gangs Responsible for 48 Percent of Violent Crime: 33,000 Gangs with 1.4 Million

November 8, 2011

Before It's News - According to the 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment released by the National Gang Intelligence Center (NGIC), approximately 1.4 million gang members belonging to more than 33,000 gangs were criminally active in the U.S. as of April, 2011.

The assessment was developed through analysis of available federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and corrections agency information; 2010 NDIC National Drug Threat Survey (NDTS) data; and verified open source information.

“Gangs continue to expand, evolve, and become more violent. The FBI, along with its federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners, strives to disrupt and prevent their criminal activities and seek justice for innocent victims of their crimes,” said Assistant Director Kevin Perkins, FBI Criminal Investigative Division.

Other key findings are as follows:

• Gangs are responsible for an average of 48 percent of violent crime in most jurisdictions and up to 90 percent in several others, according to NGIC analysis.
• Gangs are increasingly engaging in non-traditional gang-related crime such as alien smuggling, human trafficking, and prostitution. Gangs are also engaging in white-collar crime such as counterfeiting, identity theft, and mortgage fraud.
• Gangs are becoming increasingly adaptable and sophisticated, employing new and advanced technology to facilitate criminal activity discreetly, enhance their criminal operations, and connect with other gang members, criminal organizations, and potential recruits nationwide and even worldwide.

The following agencies contributed to the assessment: U.S. Department of Defense; Naval Criminal Investigative Service; U.S. Army, Fort Dix Criminal Investigative Division; Directorate Emergency Services USAG-HI; U.S. Department of Homeland Security; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; U.S. Border Patrol; U.S. Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Department of the Interior; Bureau of Land Management; U.S. Department of Justice; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Drug Enforcement Administration; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Federal Bureau of Prisons; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; National Drug Intelligence Center; National Gang Center; National Gang Intelligence Center; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Probation and Parole; U.S. Department of State; and numerous state, local, regional, and tribal law enforcement agencies.

View entire 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment

SOURCE: FBI

The FBI Announces Gangs Have Infiltrated Every Branch of the Military

October 22, 2011

Business Insider - The FBI has released a new gang assessment announcing that there are 1.4 million gang members in the US, a 40 percent increase since 2009, and that many of these members are getting inside the military (via Stars and Stripes).

The report says the military has seen members from 53 gangs and 100 regions in the U.S. enlist in every branch of the armed forces. Members of every major street gang, some prison gangs, and outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs) have been reported on both U.S. and international military installations.

From the report:

Through transfers and deployments, military-affiliated gang members expand their culture and operations to new regions nationwide and worldwide, undermining security and law enforcement efforts to combat crime. Gang members with military training pose a unique threat to law enforcement personnel because of their distinctive weapons and combat training skills and their ability to transfer these skills to fellow gang members.

The report notes that while gang members have been reported in every branch of service, they are concentrated in the U.S. Army, Army Reserves, and the Army National Guard.

Many street gang members join the military to escape the gang lifestyle or as an alternative to incarceration, but often revert back to their gang associations once they encounter other gang members in the military. Other gangs target the U.S. military and defense systems to expand their territory, facilitate criminal activity such as weapons and drug trafficking, or to receive weapons and combat training that they may transfer back to their gang. Incidents of weapons theft and trafficking may have a negative impact on public safety or pose a threat to law enforcement officials.

The FBI points out that many gangs, especially the bikers, actively recruit members with military training and advise young members with no criminal record to join the service for weapon access and combat experience.

The full assessment is definitely worth checking out, if only for the pictures.