Know The Signs That Point To Gang Involvement
BY LIZ GOFF

Those scratches on the inside of your child's belt may be more than just wear and tear-they could be a signal that your child is a member of a street gang, law enforcement officials said.

At a meeting sponsored by officials at the 110th Police Precinct in Elmhurst, police and prosecutors gave parents an insider's view of methods used by street gangs to "identify allegiance" of gang members.

Seeking new ways to outwit police and parents, street gangs have developed a new code for use in identifying members, said Sergeant Diana Erikson. "You have to look at colors your son doesn't want to wear," Erikson said. "If you come home with a red shirt and your son tells you, 'I can't wear that', it's time to ask yourself why."

Erikson showed parents photos of designer clothing, warning them that the items, when paired with certain colors, may hold hidden meanings for gang members.

She displayed a "gang alphabet"- strange variations of the accepted alphabet used by gang members to communicate with each other. The markings, when scribbled on notebooks, backpacks, or on the inside of hat brims or belts, could be signs that a teen is a member of a street gang, Erikson said.

Erikson said parents should check their children's schoolbooks each day. "If they're in school for six hours each day, they should have six hours of schoolwork," she said.

Parents attending the meeting voiced their concerns about gang recruitment and questioned actions being taken by police to sweep "recruiters" off the streets.

Elmhurst mom Jaime Acosta said teens "who dress, talk and act alike" are gathered on street corners near her Britton Avenue home each night. Efforts by local residents to chase them away are met with "curses, threats and intimidation" by the teens, Acosta said. "We try to make them leave, but there's no way they're going away," she said. "I'm constantly worried about my 14-year-old son."

Cops and prosecutors at the meeting told parents the names of area street gangs, where they gather, and the methods they use to recruit new members - some as young as eight years old. "Unfortunately, too many parents aren't aware of their child's gang activity until they get a call that their son or daughter has been arrested for a crime linked to gang membership," the sources said.

"Ask any Youth Officer at a police precinct to tell you how often that happens."

Police said parents can help keep teens from being drawn into gangs by being involved in their schoolwork, school and social activities and "just about every other aspect of their lives."

Kids whose parents know their friends, their schedules, how they're doing in school and how they're doing in general are less likely to even think about joining a street gang, police said.

Parents and concerned adults interested in learning about street gangs are urged to call the Community Affairs Officer at their local police precinct.