Metro talks about reining in gang violence

Las Vegas Sun

Metro Gang Unit Officer Larry Miller looks around an abandoned apartment used as a hangout by the 28th Street Gang on Friday, May 28, 2004, in Las Vegas.

By Tiffany Gibson

Friday, June 4, 2010 | 2:05 a.m.

Sam Morris

Detective Ramon Denby and detective Steve Morris of Metro's gang crimes section talk to a 13-year-old who claims to be a member of the North Hollywood Pee Wees gang after stopping him for driving a car without a license February 17th 2004.

Many residents describe neighborhoods near the Metro Police Convention Center Area Command on Sierra Vista Drive as safe and friendly. The area has one of the lowest crime rates in the Las Vegas Valley, but it is still plagued by gang violence, police said.

It was a little more than two months ago when the area had its last gang-related drive-by shooting, on McKellar Circle, near the intersection of Palo Verde Street and Twain Avenue, police said.

A few people were walking down the street about 3 p.m. on March 28 when two men drove past in a tan, two-door Chevy Tahoe, flashing gang signs, police said. The vehicle then turned around and the passenger fired six shots out the window at the pedestrians, police said.

Luckily, no one was injured.

To inform residents about gang violence, Metro held sessions on gang crime and initiation prevention at its monthly First Tuesday Topics session earlier this week.

Metro Gang Bureau Detective William Giblin, who addressed residents at the Convention Center Area Command, said “gang members are homegrown terrorists.”

Las Vegas has about 551 documented gangs, 12,837 identified gang members and 2,401 gang affiliates who haven’t gone through an official initiation, police said. Some gangs have hundreds of members while others only have a few, Giblin said.

He said graffiti tagging is a concern because it is the No. 1 property crime near the Convention Center Area Command. It also can lead to fights between rival gangs, he said.

The act of crossing out another gang’s tag is a sign of disrespect, Giblin said.

Residents at the meeting asked how to identify gang members.

Detective Joe Patton said gangs have evolved since the 1980s and do not display colors anymore.

He said a lot of gangs like to get tattoos all over their bodies, but it’s difficult to know who’s in a gang and who isn’t. “They’re all in our neighborhoods,” Patton said.

Their money-making schemes often take place in those neighborhoods through the sale of drugs and guns. Many gang members are also responsible for home invasions and robberies, Giblin said.

One of the ways detectives have started tracking gang members is through the use of social networking sites.

Officers will often check Myspace, Facebook and Twitter to see where certain gang members are going to show up, Giblin said. Most gang members are recruited at local schools, he said.

Younger members are sought because they can commit crimes and will only get a slap on the wrist through the juvenile justice system, he said. Parents need to be involved with their children to prevent them from becoming involved in gangs, police said.