POLICE WORK TO INCREASE AWARENESS OF GANGS

OCALA - It's been five years since Ocala police discovered a group of about
a dozen men standing near a southwest Ocala retention pond, all wearing
similar clothing matching the style and color worn by the notorious Latin
Kings gang.

Though police officials had long suspected that gangs prowled the area, it
was the first time they had been able to verify the presence of one of the
nation's largest, and most violent, gangs here. And since that time,
membership of the Latin Kings has only grown.

Ocala police say the local chapter of Latin Kings is thriving, primarily in
predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods. The good news, they say, is that the
local group is not as violent as its counterparts in New York and Chicago.

"We don't know exactly how many members, but we do know they are here,
especially in the Marion Oaks and Silver Springs Shores area," Ocala police
Det. Chuck Long said during a gang awareness seminar at the Ocala Police
Department headquarters on Monday.

Long and Ocala police Cpl. Richard Knobloch have become the department's
point people on gangs, learning all they can in the hope of heading off
gang problems here.

"We want to make sure that gang activity doesn't get to the point of
drive-by shootings, murder and other violent activities," Long said. "The
groups here are predominantly selling drugs and that's where we are right now."

Long said some of members of the Latin Kings are transplants from New York
whose parents decided to move their families to Marion County.

"Before they move, their son is a low-level member. But when they get down
here, he starts his own den," said Long. "The parents have the right
intentions, but in many cases the gang member now has more power."

Though some members of other national gangs - Sur 13, Gangsta Disciples,
Crips and Bloods - have been found in Ocala, their numbers are small. Long
said about six local gangs have emerged throughout the city of Ocala and in
Marion County.

Long and Knobloch conducted the gang awareness training for about 50 people
from about a dozen agencies, including the Marion County School Board.
Officials want to help people who work with children to spot gang-type
dress, signs and graffiti.

"You can see that each group has their own style," Knobloch said.

The new movement among the national gangs is wearing sports apparel,
especially jerseys. The Latin Kings often wear Los Angeles Kings hockey
jerseys. Many Crips wear Chicago Cubs baseball hats, for example.

Each gang has its own coded alphabet, often used in graffiti messages. The
groups also have their own sign language, colors and specific symbols. Long
urges parents to talk to their children and get to know their friends.

Officials warn parents of girls that they are not immune. About 15 percent
of all gang members are girls, who are not usually initiated by beatings,
but through sex.

"That's where the boys are," said Long, adding that one website -
www.gangsorus.com - is a great resource for parents. "That's why the girls
are joining more and more."