To the editor:
In response to the article “Caribou PD sees through the writing on the wall”, I feel it is necessary to provide the public with more information in regard to gangs.
Over the past 3 1/2 years, I have been fortunate enough to have received over 60 hours of gang training in New York and Las Vegas. These trainings covered various topics including how to identify gangs, gang activity, gang graffiti and how to deal with gang members. In addition to the formal gang training I have received, I have also worked closely with present and past gang members who have taught me a substantial amount of information about the gangs they have had affiliation with.
Throughout my training and experience, the following information has always been the same. A street gang is a group of three or more people (the number may differ from state to state) who:
• Share a unique name or have identifiable marks or symbols, such as tattoos, wearing certain styles of clothing, colors, hairstyles, graffiti, etc.;
• Associate together on a regular basis and sometimes claim a specific location or territory;
• Have an identifiable organization or hierarchy, (although the leader for one type of criminal activity may be different from that of another criminal activity); and
• Engage in antisocial, unlawful or criminal activity in an effort to further the gang’s social or economical status.
Being able to decipher graffiti is very important. Graffiti is like a newspaper to gang members — although it simply looks like drawings or writings to those who are not aware. Graffiti marks territory; it sends messages to other gang members (friend or foe), and while it may appear to be harmless or just an eyesore, it is really not. In my training, I have learned that there are 4 “R’s” to handling graffiti: read it, write it down, record it and erase it. If the graffiti is left, it will just continue to spread. Over the last several months, I have noticed a substantial amount of gang graffiti in Presque Isle, Caribou and Fort Fairfield.
I realize that this is a new experience for residents of the County to have to deal with, but this is not a subject to be taken lightly or simply dismissed. One of the reasons gang activity has spread throughout the United States is due to the fact that gangs and gang members follow the path of least resistance. Gangs will set up shop in small communities when they are “oppressed” by law enforcement in larger cities. This is because the small community itself does not have the knowledge about gangs — or the police force to deal with it. By the time a community realizes it has a gang problem, it is already too late.
Back in May of this year, my workplace held Gang Awareness training for local law enforcement agencies and members of the education community. Members from the Caribou school system, the Caribou Recreation Department, the Limestone Police Department and members of the United States Border Patrol in Fort Fairfield attended. We plan to hold additional training very soon, which will also be offered to local law enforcement agencies and school officials. It is my hope to see additional members of the local communities there to learn about this very serious issue that has been affecting our County.
Graham Warne
Fort Fairfield
