Officials report gang activity in Pasco
By Suzanne Schmidt
Staff Writer
PASCO—Even though Pasco does not have a big city atmosphere, it does not mean we do not have big city problems like gangs.
Contrary to popular belief, there is no definitive way to identify gang members, according to Sergeant Mike Jones of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.
“There is no way to identify gang members,” Jones said. “The first way to identify gang activity is if graffiti pops up.”
Some of the symbols commonly used by gangs when spray painting, or tagging, includes a five or six pointed star and pitchforks.
If people in the area notice graffiti, Lieutenant Chuck Balderstone, supervisor of the vice and narcotics unit, said the most important thing to do is to call the Sheriff’s office immediately.
“The graffiti may be an indicator of if there is a gang,” Balderstone said. “It takes detectives who are trained to observe the different types of graffiti in order to discern where it came from and what it has to say.”
Even though it is an indicator for gangs, not all graffiti is gang related.
“Just because kids are hanging out listening to hip hop music and have baggy pants does not mean they are in a gang,” Jones said. “There has to be criminal activity in order for it to be classified as a gang. Just because there are three or four kids out doesn’t mean they are a gang.”
When there is graffiti, Jones said it is important to let the Sheriff’s office decode the meaning.
“We have gone to all kinds of training,” Jones said. “We learn to identify symbols and we learn to read them. It is kind of like a newspaper of the street. A lot of the time we can identify who is doing it. Anytime we leave up the graffiti, it gives the gang power and entitlement which is why we have to identify it and remove it right away.”
According to the Florida Statute 874 a criminal gang means a formal or informal ongoing organization, association, or group that has as one of its primary activities the commission of criminal or delinquent acts, and that consists of three or more persons who have a common name or common identifying signs, colors, or symbols, including, but not limited to, terrorist organizations and hate groups.
In order to be considered a gang, the group has to have documented proof of at least two things from the list found at myflorida.com in the 2009 Florida Statutes under Chapter 874. In the same way, in order to be considered a gang associate the person needs to have at least one thing documented and proven from the list.
“The gangs engage in criminal activity like anything that will improve their status in the gang like theft and burglary,” Jones said. “This is their business, that is what they do for a living.”
Balderstone said the gangs also deal drugs as a way to make money.
