Autonomous cliques of the Mara Salvatrucha gang communicate internationally through the same social networks we use, including Facebook, MySpace, Twitter...

Like the evolution of the Italian Mafia in U.S. cities such as New York and Chicago, Mexican smugglers or "contrabandistas" evolved from crude thuggish...

The release in Mexico of one of the men responsible for the murder of DEA Special Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena has renewed tension between the U.S. and...

Just because a gang may seem unsophisticated and maybe it's just a pseudo-Sureño gang, don't ignore their potential for violence. They may start slow on the...

Mexican drug cartels are now operating deep in the U.S., according to the recent Associated Press report. They're operating not just in border areas....

In recent years, attacks against police officers have increasingly become sneaky ambushes rather than direct confrontations. They may involve improvised...

Gang members belong to a gangster culture, believing that only lame punks do menial work for "the man." Why be a lowly worker, when you can be the boss? As...

It is this use of illicit drugs that first seduces young men into the criminal underworld and later makes the gangs the principal purveyors of this...

The word "war" is not just hyperbole; it correctly describes what is going on. It's estimated that the violence—kidnapping and murder—has driven 400,000...

Like war, police work can be an ugly job. Like military service, it can be dangerous physically and psychologically. But who's better prepared to endure...

The Black Panther Party was formed to protect and defend African-American neighborhoods from police brutality. By the late 1960s, it represented a major...

Some human sacrifices to Santa Muerte have been claimed in Tijuana and Nuevo Laredo in 2006. In 2008, 11 headless bodies were found in the Yucatan and the...

Anyone who has worked in the jail or prison for any length of time is probably aware of the psychological manipulation practiced by many sophisticated...

Vetrovec and I were at the south window in hyper-vigilance mode, when one of the Geraghty homeboys pulled down the plywood covering the living room door,...

In a strange way, the iconography ties together much of the evil perpetrated by the gangs that are trafficking in drugs and human beings and their violent...

Why do some people feel the need to rewrite history to suit their needs? Many of these "documentaries" are only as good as their sources of information and...

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Sgt. Curtis Jackson pioneered a different way to attack gangs. Instead of using "show of force" suppression patrols, Jackson...

I remember riding with another L.A. Deputy Sheriff in an East Los Angeles gang car in 1975. To me, it was a privilege working with a special gang...

Varrio Hawaiian Gardens was a Sureño gang fiercely loyal to the Mexican Mafia, and the Mafia was in a racial war against Blacks. Varrio Hawaiian Gardens...

Advanced computers, scanners, and color printers make counterfeit detection much more difficult. Like good counterfeit currency, most false documents pass...

In prison, forms of black slang and African languages are used to code conversations to prevent non-black inmates and staff from understanding the...

No matter how small or large a town they work in, and whether they work urban or rural, gang cops need to know about and recognize the signs of criminal...

Operation Black Flag was another "staggering and comprehensive blow" to California's most powerful gang, according to U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte. However,...

They may seem disorganized, they may act stupid, they may look really young, but they are deadly and cunning as sharks.

The girlfriend was provided with a “burnout phone.” A burnout phone is one that would be operational for a few months before being burned out. By that time...

Like the unwanted dandelions that sprout in lawns, cartel and gang partners continue to adapt and survive. The systematic corruption of our police, courts...

If ending corruption is the real goal, let's apply all the regulations equally across the board. I can support mandatory financial disclosure for all...

Even in the murderous world of gangs, the most wicked killings are perpetrated by individuals who seem motivated by some other dark, twisted presence within...

One at a time each of the three targets got out of the vehicle, walked in a big circle around the McDonald’s, went inside, only to return to the vehicle...

The transnational gangs, drug trafficking organizations and Muslim terrorists have taken advantage of American apathy and the lack of will in Latin America....

When inmates and gang members see cops acting like convicts, they tend to react to them like they do other convicts and gangsters. What little respect that...

Two New York officers threatened in a gang wanted poster should consider the threats from the bad guys a true compliment. It means they are making a real...

No one in a predatory environment wanted tight, close-fitting clothing. Status in custody was displayed by wearing new, especially large baggy clothing,...

Former Mexican Mafia leader Ramon "Mundo" Mendoza's motivation for writing, "Mexican Mafia: The Gang of Gangs," is to get the book into the hands of gang...

"End of Watch" provides a refreshing avoidance of the Hollywood formula. This production has captured the most realistic depiction of everyday police...

Based on my experience, I'd say my paintball games were more realistic and useful training experiences than any contrived multiple-target drill, falling...

While in custody, most Sureño gang members are educated in martial arts fighting tactics and are primarily trained in fighting with edged weapons. The...

By the late 1960s, many of the Black Panther Party leadership had become entangled in criminal trials or were serving long prison sentences. Some had been...

In paintball scenarios, you battle multiple adversaries often in close quarter combat in urban or built-up locations. You either assault or defend a...

In the last three years, 23,000 people are estimated to have been killed in the Mexican drug gang violence. This daily body count rivals totals from Iraq...

In a federal indictment charging the suspects, it was alleged that the center of their criminal operation was an Iraqi social club in El Cajon, and...

Denial and minimization of a gang problem allows the city's criminal gangs to take root. It also thwarts proactive anti-gang measures.

The Times apparently now has a policy of protecting teen suspects from public exposure, while choosing to expose a witness who courageously risked...

The court transportation system is the first weak point. Did you know that 40% of all inmate escapes occur during transport? Any gang member who's spent any...

Although the Brown Berets claimed to be advocates of education and the politically informed, the majority of the Brown Beret members were high school...

On the strength of 16 indictments, federal agents arrested 119 alleged members of La Cosa Nostra Sicilian Mafia in late-January raids in the Northeast. This...

To Bryan Stow and the rest of the sane world, his Giants baseball gear represented his love of baseball and his support for his team. To that cowardly pack...

Despite the federal government's politically correct definition of "cross border violence," my experience and intelligence sources tell me that "cross...

"Rampart" is another depiction of the evil white-guy cop, played this time by over-the-top Woody Harrelson, and the good black guy played by...

Federal, state and local police as well as other government officials have succumbed to the money involved in the cannabis cancer. Whether it's the legal...