Gang Awareness & Management Seminars
Trends and Practical Strategies for School, Law Enforcement, and Youth-Service Providers

Each gang has its own identifiers in the line of colors, clothing, language and symbols. It's common for gangs to change some of their identifiers to avoid getting caught by the police. Here is a partial list of gang identifiers:

1. Caps or hats-- tilted to the right refers to the Folk Nation, tilted to the left the People Nation. A certain type of baseball cap may indicate a specific gang affiliation.
2. Colors-- some gangs identify with specific colors such as red and black, or blue and black.
3. Hand Signals-- signals such as a crown or falcon have been developed by many gangs to identify their gang affiliation. Showing or "flashing" gang signals is a way of identifying one's gang.
4. Graffiti--emblems or insignia on buildings, street signs and bus stops mark gang territory. Gang members may have graffiti markers on their clothing or personal belongings. Graffiti written upside down or with a line drawn through it means one gang is disrespecting or "dissing" another gang.
5. Clothing-- Certain colors on starter jackets or baggy or sagging pants may represent gang involvement. Other clues are one pant leg rolled up, a certain colored bandana on one side of the body, a glove on one hand, one pocket out or one shoe lace untied.

Gang issues are priority concerns for many urban, suburban, and rural school, law enforcement, and other youth-service professionals.

Gang membership:

Crosses all boundaries of age, sex, race, academic achievement, and economic status

May be chronic and entrenched or just emerging, depending upon the time and the community

Requires a balanced approach of prevention, intervention, and enforcement strategies


PROGRAM CONTENT

Gang awareness and management training sessions provide participants an understanding of the myths, realities, and latest trends in gang identification, activity, and management approaches. Topics may include:
 

Presentations range from brief overviews to multi-day sessions depending upon the needs of the sponsors. Forums may include keynote presentations, workshops and break-out sessions, individual or multi-agency seminars, or other arrangements to meet your unique needs.


THE PRESENTER

Kenneth S. Trump, M.P.A., is president and CEO of National School Safety and Security Services. Ken is co-founder and vice president of the Midwest Gang Investigators Association, Ohio Chapter. He served over seven years with the Cleveland Public Schools' Division of Safety and Security, where he designed and supervised its Youth Gang Unit that reduced school gang crimes by 39% over three years in the system of 127 schools and 73,000 students. Ken served as assistant director of a federal-funded anti-gang initiative in three southwest Cleveland suburbs, where he was also the director of security for the ninth largest Ohio school system. Visit our Security & Gang Consultant page for additional presenter profile information.