What's in a Gang? Plus Residential Security Tips, Community Resources

The message Det. Paul Ciepiela had for us Tuesday night was clear: Be on alert, because gangs are everywhere.  

More than a thousand known members are in Baltimore County and more and more women are joining. They even exist in the military. And with the exception of being born into a gang family, the culture pervades minds as young as 7 years old. 

"I'm not telling you this to scare you," he said. "But it crosses every socio-economic, racial and ethnic boundary we have in society."

The room of about 50 students was its most animated and somber during our last of three presentations at the fourth class of . Parents in the room expressed their shock and bewilderment as Ciepiela ran through screenshots from popular video games. 

In Saints Row, an XBox 360 game, players are in the Third Street Saints battling to win their territory back. You can pick up prostitutes, reap their services and then kill them and steal their money in Grand Theft Auto. Being bad gets you far in the Playstation 2 game 25 to Life. 

Today's youth is inundated with violence and crime messages due to the Internet and changing entertainment values, Ciepiela said. Bullying at schools has evolved, expanding to cyberbullying, putting an unprecedented pressure on a generation of youth to process what's good and bad. 

With that amount of exposure, young people have begun to think the culture around gangs—from wearing red or blue to drug dealing and violence—is cool. 

"(But) our kids got 'stupid' falling out of them every day!" he repeated throughout the presentation, drawing laughter and affirmations. The wrong hand sign in the wrong neighborhood—or in a picture on the Internet—can get a kid killed, he said.

A gang is defined as three or more individuals with a commonality and a tendency for crime. In Baltimore County, that commonality could be a membership in Bloods, Dead Man Inc., Crips, MS-13, 18th Street, the Black Gorrilla Family or various scavenger, independent gangs, according to Ciepiela.

The least we can do is understand what they're being exposed to pick up on clues and prevent tragedy. Noticing a child's new favorite color, new language and more graffiti in an area are all signs that a gang is increasing its exposure, he said.  

We must accept certain facts about our society in order to deal with what's around us, Ciepiela reiterated.

I know I'm on the lookout.

To report gang-related activity or get more help, call the Baltimore County gang hotline at 410-823-0785. 

On residential security
Det. Carl Lindhorst provided a crash course on keeping your home safe. Here are some highlights:

• Call the landscaper and tear down those bushes if they're creating a wall between your home and its street view. Lindhorst said we should allow for what he calls "natural surveillance," or the ability to easily see the environment around you.
• Instead, plant pyracantha, a dreadfully thorny bush that countless government agencies and businesses surround their first-floor windows with as a natural deterrent. 
•  Illuminate the exterior of your home at night. Consider your neighbors when purchasing I, II, III, IV or V type bulbs, with type I being the weakest. (FYI: fluorescent bulbs, while cheap, are also the most affected by temperature.) 
• Front door lights should be installed on either side of the door rather than one overhead to help illuminate faces and not cast hard-to-distinguish shadows. 
• Do not use a hollow core door as an exterior door, which is a cheap alternative to a steel or solid core wood door. Consider replacing single-cylinder door locks with double cylinder locks or even better, capture key deadbolts, which locks a deadbolt from both ends but becomes a thumb turn for interior safety.

On youth and community resources
Officer Sharon McKenzie, a domestic violence liaison, gave a quick overview of the Youth and Community Resources Bureau. Here's a handful of what's available to you as a Baltimore County resident:

• Juvenile Offenders in Need of Supervision: For children at the crucial stage of uncertainty, this program has helped keep 90 percent of one-time juvenile offenders subsequently free of crime.
• Counseling Team: Trained civilian counselors offer free help for families dealing with runaway children or other problem behaviors. 
• Police Athletic League: To combat idle boredom, nine centers exist throughout the county to provide extracurricular activities for kids during after-school and weekend hours.
• Citizens on Patrol: The eyes and ears for local police, this group volunteers its time to patrol neighborhoods and, in exchange, are eligible for cars and equipment paid for with grants from the county.
• Elder/Vulnerable Adult Abuse Program: Investigates reports of abuse, neglect, self-neglect and exploitation. Call the county's adult protective services at 410-853-3000 if you suspect any of these things.

For more information on youth and community resources as a whole, visit their website or call 410-887-2587. 

Stay tuned for next week's edition, when I'll fire a gun for the first time at the department's shooting range.