Thread: Dallas police: Military gang recruiting concerning

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Dallas police: Military gang recruiting concerning

12:01 AM CDT on Thursday, June 1, 2006
By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA-TV


Both the military and local police haved acnowledged that the military inadvertently recruiting existing gang members could become a problem if the members are looking for expert training in weaponry and other areas to take back to the streets

The graffitti of notorious gangs from the United States, such as the MS-13, Latin Kings and the Aryan Brotherhood, has shown up thousands of miles away in Iraq.

Pictures taken by the Chicago Sun-Times showed walls and armored carriers tagged with gang symbols.

"Yes, it is evident there are some who have made it into the armed services," said Major Christine Downing, an Army recruiter.

Police agencies across the country worry that gang members are using the military to get weapons training, and the Dallas Police Department has become so concerned that its gang unit is alerting the entire department.

"They are learning these tactics and they are bringing them back out to the street," said Lt. Carlton Marshall, Dallas Police Department.

In California, Marine Lance Cpl. Andres Raya shot two officers with a rifle outside a liquor store, which killed one officer. He was a member of the Norteno gang and spent seven months in Iraq before the shootings.

"These soldiers are getting hands on training in urban warfare," Lt. Marshall said.

What police said they are most concerned about is that its against federal law for police departments to give the military, or any non-police agency, information about gang members.

"We can't tell them they are a gang member," Lt. Marshall said.

The army said it does strict background checks, which include checking for gang tattoos and if they find any relations to gangs the person is immediately disqualified.

"Extremist organizations are prejudicial to good order and discipline and that's the reason they are prohibited from joining the military," Major Downing said.

When discussing the problems with gang members joining the military, some police point to a group called the Zetas. They were former Mexican military commandos trained to take on drug dealers that turned dirty and now protect the drug lords.

Police fear U.S. gang members will become like the Zetas and end up protecting the criminals.


E-mail rlopez@wfaa.com

Boy, it just keeps getting worse. Seems like America is about to become a war zone.

Wasn't Bush just on tv yesterday bragging about how military recruitment had increased?

What police said they are most concerned about is that its against federal law for police departments to give the military, or any non-police agency, information about gang members.

What LAW IS THIS??

This is absurd........against ALL COMMON SENSE

The army said it does strict background checks, which include checking for gang tattoos

OK, short story. This happened this year. I know someone that got a rather large tattoo on their leg and she was going to go into the Navy. Rule is, you have to be able to cover it with your hand. However, it was a fairy and her butt cheek was showing. They sent a photo to DC and she waited hours for them to approve the tattoo. They came back and said cover her butt. Well, she had to go get under-roos put on her tatoo. Then she had to go back and get the corrective undies approved too. Here all branches go thru the same pre-entry location.

Therefore, I know they do watch for gang tattoos. They are very strict.

Problem is, these guys can cover them up with another tattoo or just not have any yet. In hardship cases you can enlist at 17 years old. You have to be 18 in TX to get a tattoo from a professional.

Also, the thought of these guys getting any kind of special training just boils my blood.

This stinks on so many levels.

Dixie

http://www.mysanantonio.com

NEW: Some concerned that gang members are getting military training

Web Posted: 06/05/2006 10:15 PM CDT
Brandy Ralston
KENS 5 Eyewitness News

Most people join the U.S. military for one purpose — to protect our freedom. However, now there are concerns that some are joining for an entirely different reason.

MS-13, the Latin Kings and the Aryan Brotherhood are all gangs found in the United States. So why is their graffiti showing up in Iraq?

"If it's there, it's being looked into. I myself haven't seen it," U.S. Army Maj. Fred Dufault said.

The Chicago Sun-Times recently shot pictures of walls and armored carriers in Iraq tagged with the symbols of U.S. gangs.

"Yes, it is evident there are some that have made it into the armed services," Army recruiter Maj. Christine Downing said.

Police agencies in Texas are worried that gang members are using the military to get weapons training.

"They're learning these tactics, and they're bringing them back to the street," said Lt. Carlton Marshall, with the Dallas Police Department.

Dallas' gang unit is so concerned that they've alerted their entire department. However, military recruiters in San Antonio say they don't think it's an issue.

"I haven't seen that in my two years in recruiting," Dufault said. "There may be, there may be in different parts of the country, but in San Antonio, in the South Texas area, I haven't seen that it's happening."

Recruiters try to weed out any suspected gang members before they even get in the door.

"We do an in-depth interview with them, and there's a lot of checks and balances, so we don't allow them to get through," Dufault said.

Recruiters are trained on what to look for — everything from gang tattoos to clothing.

"Things show up, the way soldiers wear their clothes, the way they present themselves could be indicators," Dufault said.

If a potential recruit gives any indication that he or she may be in a gang, that person is immediately disqualified.

The military doesn't simply ask police about would-be soldiers because federal law prohibits police agencies from giving any information about gang members to the military or any non-police agency.

In 2004, President Bush signed an order allowing all active-duty immigrants serving as of Sept. 11, 2001, to apply for U.S. citizenship without waiting the usual three years, and without having to be physically present in the States in order to apply. Now, immigrants serving in the army, navy, marine corps, air force, coast guard, parts of the national guard and Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve may be eligible to apply for citizenship if they can 1) Demonstrate good moral character/have no criminal record, 2) can speak English, 3) can demonstrate knowledge of U.S. government and history, and take an oath of allegiance to the U.S. Constitution. The applicant must also have served honorably during one year of conflict, have a green card, or have been present in the U.S. at time of enlistment. The application must be filed within six months of discharge.

A flood of inquiries from Mexicans and other foreigners prompted the military to state that it will only accept U.S. legal residents and citizens at this time....

One proponent of greater immigration privileges for military personnel is Democratic Rep. Martin Frost, whose territory includes the Dallas, Forth Worth and Arlington areas, with a large number of Mexican immigrant soldiers. He introduced a bill well before the Bush administration made its changes, which would make it easier for immigrants to get naturalized at U.S. military bases, embassies and consulates, rather than having to travel to do so.

http://immigration.about.com/od/usci...CitizenIss.htm


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