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Photo Galleriesby Staff WriterAugust 7, 2009

White Gang Tattoos

The Aryan Brotherhood, which is also known as "AB" or "The Brand," is a primarily white prison gang with about 15,000 members in and out of prison. According to the FBI, the gang makes up only one percent of the prison population, but is responsible for 18 percent of all murders in the federal corrections system. Members use symbols in their tattoos such as swastikas, SS lightning bolts, the number 666, and Celtic imagery.

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Photo Galleriesby Staff WriterAugust 7, 2009

Prison and Gang Ink Symbols

In addition to advertising gang membership, tattoos provide other details about the bearer.  For the incarcerated, images of chains and locks represent the loss of freedom; an hourglass or clock face without hands indicate doing time; a string of numbers may be an inmate's prison ID; one laughing face, one crying face means play now, pay later or my happy life, my sad life; a tombstone with numbers may indicate years of incarceration; the face of a female crying usually means someone on the outside is waiting for them. Caption information provided by POLICE gang expert Richard Valdemar.

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Articlesby Dave SmithAugust 7, 2009

Backing Into Space

Dave Smith recounts his LAPD SWAT training, when he was "in the midst of a training scenario requiring a Spiderman-like trip from the top of a very tall building to a window on the sixth floor ... With only the hookers and cabbies of downtown Los Angeles to bear witness, I stepped backward into space 14 stories above the street."

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Photo Galleriesby Staff WriterAugust 6, 2009

Gang Graffiti

Graffiti continues to be used as a written form of communication between street gangs. An observant patrol officer can read graffiti and collect valuable information about past, current and future gang activities. Graffiti can be used to mark off turf boundaries, give insults to rival gangs, act as a warning of impending death, list fallen comrades, announce the presence of a gang in a certain area of the city or show gang alliances. Editor's Note: Images contain profanity.

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Newsby Staff WriterAugust 6, 2009

Arm Yourself With the Latest Products and Training at TREXPO East

Want to check out the latest weaponry, technology, and training? TREXPO East will be showcasing some of the newest products on the show floor.

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Newsby Staff WriterAugust 6, 2009

NBA Player's 'Tweets' Use Gang Style

Denver Nuggets' guard J.R. Smith shuts down his Twitter account, amidst controversy that he may have been using it to promote the Bloods street gang, the Denver Post reports.

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Photo Galleriesby Staff WriterAugust 5, 2009

Latino Gang Tattoos

Tattoos are an excellent tool for law enforcement and corrections officers to use to identify known or suspected gang members. This gallery includes examples of tattoos worn by predominanly Latino gangs such as the Mexican Mafia, MS-13, and the Latin Kings. The number "13" is used because M (or La Eme) is the thirteenth letter of the alphabet and is used to signify the Mexican Mafia, which uses Sureños—gangs that swear allegiance to the Mexican Mafia—to carry out its orders from prison.

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Newsby Staff WriterAugust 4, 2009

Georgia Man Shoots Two Deputies, Kills Himself

Newton County, Ga., officials say two sheriff’s deputies have been hospitalized with wounds after a standoff with a man later found shot to death.

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Newsby Staff WriterAugust 3, 2009

4 Gun Traffickers Were Raising Proceeds to Pay Drug Cartel

Several of the guns, which were being moved from Arizona to California, were fully automatic. One of the men arrested said the transaction was raising funds to pay off a debt to a Mexican drug cartel, according to the ATF.

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Newsby Staff WriterAugust 3, 2009

Motorcycle-Gang Members Plead Guilty in Detroit

Fourteen members of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club have pleaded guilty in Detroit to charges including violent crimes in aid of racketeering, illegal drug distribution and firearms violations, federal officials have announced.

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