If American gangs didn’t exist, foreign terrorists would have to create them. Jose Padilla (Maniac Latin Disciples) reportedly offered to provide foreign terrorists with a “dirty bomb.” This made it clear to law enforcement that foreign terrorists have developed a connection — and an appreciation for — what gangs can provide a foreign terrorist group.
For example, gangs can provide foreign terrorist groups with criminals that have the freedom of movement afforded US citizens. Gangs provide an established criminal network that is comfortable with the idea of committing crimes for money, and already operate and communicate in a clandestine manner.
Law enforcement has “high speed, high tech” methods of collecting intelligence. We can utilize wiretaps, and track cellular phone use. But remember that David Berkowitz’s (Son of Sam) killing spree was stopped because of a parking ticket.
Finding actionable intelligence
Patrol officers and correctional officers develop and utilize confidential informants who can produce what Federal Agents call “actionable intelligence.” For the cop on patrol and the correction officer working housing areas, that means making an arrest or finding contraband.
Searches can also provide documents that provide actionable intelligence. Whether you are searching an inmate cell or a defendant’s “pocket litter,” you may find material that can have intelligence value.
Since 1995, I have been studying gangs and deciphering gang codes. The more I read and studied about gangs, especially the larger and more established gangs, the more I began to appreciate the depth of their beliefs and the extent to which they were committed to the gang. I began to understand that the larger gangs were actually sub-cultures of our society with their own beliefs, history, holidays, laws, goals and hierarchy. Gangs like the Latin Kings, Black Gangster Disciples, Association Neta, Bloods and Crips are gangs with national influence and organization.
As I lectured to law enforcement and civilian groups, I noticed that what really showed my audience just how organized and sophisticated these groups are, was when I showed them examples of gang codes. Showing my audience examples of the extremely ornate and complicated codes — which often involve two or even three symbols for one letter — helps demonstrate the level of organization used in gang criminal communications.
In my lecture, Gangs: Secret Codes, Signs & Symbols, I demonstrate how I have been successful in deciphering gang codes.
Here are some examples of gang codes that I have deciphered (See Figure 1):
This is one page of a 15-page message from a branch of the Black Gangster Disciples confiscated in a Virginia correctional facility.
Note how ornate the symbols are.
This code used more than one symbol for a given letter.
Here are the deciphered code symbols used in this document (See Figures 4.1, 4.2, 4.3):
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Here is an example of a Bloods document confiscated by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) (See Figure 5):
Here are the deciphered code symbols used in this document (See Figure 6.1 and 6.2):
Be aware
An encoded document found in a cell search or “pocket litter” can have tremendous impact if it can be decoded. It can provide “actionable intelligence” which can mean an arrest, or it can have an even larger impact.
The gang code sample documents shown above were taken from much larger documents. Some samples were as large as fifteen pages. Documents as large as this, using codes as ornate and complex as the ones shown, often reveal identifiers for a gang, such as history, symbols and their meaning, etc. Often significant information about the gang leadership is developed. More importantly, documents of this length can be descriptions of past or future criminal activity, a detailed escape plan, a terrorist plot or other threat to law enforcement officers.
As the gangs and foreign terrorists expand their relationship, law enforcement will have to be more aware of what “our” gangs are doing and of course how they communicate. When conducting searches don’t throw away material that you can’t recognize or understand. Pass it on to Detectives, Gang Intelligence, or other agencies that may be able to help decipher the confiscated material.
America is already providing foreign terrorists with well established and organized crime partners. Let’s not help them by throwing away possible intelligence and evidence.
