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Holy Toledo! Gang and Crime Stats Higher Than National Average

The recent gang riots in Toledo, Ohio has produced a renewed interest in the issue of street gangs and their criminal activities. Americans were shocked at news broadcasts showing gang members on the streets of Toledo looting, breaking into homes and torching buildings. The news media template for the rioting is that these thugs were anquished and enraged over a group of Neo-Nazis protesting on the streets considered the terroritory of gang members. But an honest view of news footage of the gang members rioting displayed an atmosphere of celebration and lawlessness rather than anquish.
The violence broke out about one-quarter of a mile away along the planned Nazi march route shortly before it was to begin. One group of men pounded on a convenience store, and others overturned vehicles. There was a report of a shooting but police hadn‘t found a victim, according to Mike Navarre, police chief of the Toledo PD. A police officer, who wished to remain anonymous, claims that the city's politicians and officials are in a state of denial whenever citizens or the media ask questions about gangs. Such denial is not peculiar to Toledo.

With a population of over 309,000, Toledo's violent crime rate is 1.72 times the national average and their overall crime rate is 1.70 times the national average. Alarmingly, the city's arson rate is almost 5 times that of of national average, according to FBI crime statistics. Many of the 21 murders, 1655 aggravated assaults and 1,354 robberies are gang-related, as are some of the almost 20,000 burglaries and grand larcenies.

The danger of modern gangs is rooted in local, community-level activity. The Federal Bureau of Investigation estimates that at least 30,000 gangs, with 800,000 members, are having an impact on 2,500 communities across the United States.

Increasing law enforcement pressure and the desire to expand their lucrative illegal activities are leading gangs to spread from urban areas into smaller cities,suburban and rural areas. According to gang experts, partnerships with law enforcement, schools, parents, community and faith-based groups, and youth are an important element in addressing and reducing gang crime in the United States.

The National Alliance of Gang Investigators Association conducted the 2005 National Gang Threat Assessment in conjunction with the FBI. The NAGIA surveyed 455 law enforcement agencies nationwide and identified several important trends in gang activity.

Approximately 45 percent of respondents said that gangs use technology, such as cell phones, computers, and the Internet in their criminal activities. Low-cost and accessible items, coupled with ease of use and increased technological savvy, have made it difficult for law enforcement to track and combat the illegal activity of gangs consistently.
Gangs are migrating nationwide and as they migrate they bring their culture of violence and fear to each new community. Many reasons could explain the modern migration factor such as expansion of gang territories and families moving because of jobs or incarceration.

New immigrants are susceptible to gang influences and activities because of language barriers, employment difficulties, support, protection, and fear. In Hispanic communities, membership in a gang means support and protection. In Asian communities, however, gangs tend to victimize new immigrants to scare them into silence.

As gang activity expands, traditional boundaries and alliances have been blurred. Modern hybrid gangs are less likely to use traditional symbols, colors, and markings to identify themselves. Hybrid gangs may use the name of one traditional gang, use the colors of another, and align themselves with rivals for financial gain. This haphazard organizational structure hampers law enforcement’s ability to categorize, monitor, and reduce gang activity.

Community denial hinders the ability to address and combat gang activity. Approximately 31 percent of Assessment respondents stated that their communities denied having a gang problem, had no response, or expressed no interest. Some communities do not want to recognize a gang problem because of the stigma associated with it, while other communities are silent from fear.

According to the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC), "street gangs, outlaw motorcycle gangs, and prison gangs are the primary distributors of illegal drugs on the streets of the United States." The FBI concurs. The 2005 Gang Threat Assessment also estimates that 60 percent of gangs were moderately to highly involved in drug distribution at the street level. The FBI also surmises that gangs are aligning themselves with international organized crime syndicates and estimates that 26 percent of gangs are associated with organized crime.

Of that group, 80 percent of the gangs are affiliated with Mexican drug organizations. These associations provide financial benefits for both groups and allow local street gangs to act as drug smugglers and dealers in the United States. The NDIC also found that gangs are increasing their smuggling activities.

There is no one solution for solving the local gang problem. However, communities can take action to address and reduce a gang problem. An important step toward gang eradication is to create a coalition of community stakeholders, including but not limited to law enforcement, local government, parents, schools, youth, businesses, and community- or faith-based groups.

Sources: Toledo, Ohio Police Department, US Department of Justice, National Alliance of Gang Investigators Association, Community Oriented Policing Services, Federal Bureau of Investigation, American Federation of Police & Concerned Citizens, National Association of Chiefs of Police, National Criminal Justice Reference Service