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Published: May 11, 2006 11:26 am

Gang Wars

Gang activity is growing in small towns

By BRENDA BOYD
Herald Area Correspondent

KIEFER –– Small towns are rapidly becoming new and fertile territory for gang infiltration, according to recent information circulated to area police departments.

Police Chief Stacey White said he has had recent contact within Kiefer town limits with known gang members operating out of the Tulsa area.

“We are just a quiet, little town, but that can change quickly if we don’t stay on top of this,” White said. “It’s been proven that if we ignore the fact that gangs exist, this will only lead to greater problems in the future.”

White, a foster parent, said one of his biggest concerns is how gangs are recruiting their members.

“Parents, especially single parents, need to be aware how these gangs prey on kids as young as 13 years old. They target families where the parents are gone all the time. Gang members offer a family structure that includes necessities like food, clothes, finances and even discipline that they are not getting at home,” White said.

There have already been reports of Kiefer teens wearing gang colors and demonstrating gang hand signs, one officer said.

“I want to be proactive to this problem, not reactive,” he said. “I want our people to be aware we are seeing gang activity in our area, and I want them to help us and keep us informed of anything suspicious.”

White, who requires monthly training for his regular and reserve officers, invited Les Wilmott to update officers on the latest in gang activity during a special training session.

Wilmott is the former chief of Beggs and has 30 years of law enforcement experience. He was the tactical team commander and narcotics investigator for the Rogers County Sheriff’s Office and was on the District Attorney’s Drug Task Force for 15 years.

Wilmott said the MS-13 gang is a primary focus for law enforcement at this time. This particular gang has been tagged “the most dangerous gang in America” by both Police Magazine and Newsweek.

MS-13, also known as Mara Salva Trucha, started in Central and South America where they have an estimated 60,000 members. They have been in the United States since the early ‘90s and in Oklahoma since 1997.

While serving in the Marine Corps, White said he was sent to El Salvador and Nicaragua to disrupt the drug flow and encountered the MS-13 gang while there.

“They are a violent gang, and they didn’t get along with any of the other gangs,” White said. “They are heavily armed and are into home invasions, auto theft and drug trafficking.”

Government information estimates 80 percent of the cars driven in El Salvador are stolen from the United States.

Gang members sport many body tattoos and most have a three-dot tattoo that represents they are aware their involvement in MS-13 will lead them to be hospitalized, imprisoned or to their death.

The current trend has been for MS-13 members to look for suburban cities where gangs “are not an issue” and local officials and authorities are in denial.

“Their mission is to take over the turf of the U.S. one city at a time using crime and violence,” Wilmott said.

Wilmott said he encountered Tulsa gang members in Beggs.

The traditional lack of manpower and funding for small towns also makes it easier for gang members to infiltrate a town and take over, he said.

“What deals with us (Kiefer) directly is Highway 75 – the Kansas to Texas run. They’ll jump to Alternate 75 to avoid detection,” Wilmott said, “and they have no respect for law enforcement, especially in small towns.”

In the late ‘80s, MS-13 organized in Los Angeles for the primary purpose of defending Salvadoran immigrants from other street gangs. Their quest for power led to an increase in membership and their expansion across the United States.

The Maldon Institute, a non-profit think tank that studies national security and terrorism, reports MS-13 appears to “be in control of much of the Mexican border,” and in addition to its smuggling and contraband rackets, the gang helps move illegal immigrants, drugs and guns into the United States.

“There is a terrorist connection with our street gangs,” Wilmott said. “It is known that MS-13 is helping terrorists get across the border.”

The monthly training is held the second Saturday of each month and is open to any officer in the area. Training topics vary month to month. The next session is scheduled for May 13 at noon.

For more information, contact Sgt. Jeff Buechler at 321-5931.