CPAM Conference Day # 3, Gangs Identification & Current Trends

Detective Pat Busch,  Saginaw Police Department provided an overview of the history of gangs and their affiliations.  He described the specific groups such as the Bloods, Crips, People Nation, and Hispanic gangs that have been identified in the state of Michigan with national connections.

* Details of the presentation will not be shared in this post, information on resources and research on gangs will follow.

Michigan Law:

THE MICHIGAN PENAL CODE (EXCERPT) Act 328 of 1931 750.411u Associate or member of gang; commission or attempt to commit felony; membership in gang as motive, means, or opportunity; penalty; definitions; consecutive sentence. Sec. 411u. (1) If a person who is an associate or a member of a gang commits a felony or attempts to commit a felony and the person's association or membership in the gang provides the motive, means, or opportunity to commit the felony, the person is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than 20 years. As used in this section: (a) "Gang" means an ongoing organization, association, or group of 5 or more people, other than a nonprofit organization, that identifies itself by all of the following: (i) A unifying mark, manner, protocol, or method of expressing membership, including a common name, sign or symbol, means of recognition, geographical or territorial sites, or boundary or location. (ii) An established leadership or command structure. (iii) Defined membership criteria. (b) "Gang member" or "member of a gang" means a person who belongs to a gang. (2) A sentence imposed under this section is in addition to the sentence imposed for the conviction of the underlying felony or the attempt to commit the underlying felony and may be served consecutively with and preceding any term of imprisonment imposed for the conviction of the felony or attempt to commit the felony. History: Add. 2008, Act 564, Eff. Apr. 1, 2009.

Every community has to help address the growing problem of tagging; spray painting of walls, or any structure to mark their territory. If you have seen it reported to the local enforcement to address getting it removed.

Social media has become a primary platform for communications within the various groups. This is an important change in how gangs communicate and share information about protecting their groups, violations of their tagging, and expressing their emotions with the loss of a member and more.

Below are links to additional resources for Officers, Social Workers, School personnel , and the community to learn more about the impact of gangs in your respective communities.

 National Gang Center

Standford News: How Gangs Use Social Media

Columbia Univ. "What Social Media tells us about gang violence"

Univ. of Montreal 2011, "Gangs presence in Social Media Sites"

Rap Genius: Rappers and their gang affiliation

Youtube: Evolution of Gangster Rap 2015-2019

G.R.E.A.T.