FEATURED AUTHOR
BILL VALENTINE

Bill Valentine was born in Denver, Colorado, and later moved to Salt Lake City, where he grew up and attended formal school. As a young man he served in the army and then settled in Santa Monica, California, and went to work for Schaefer's Ambulance Service in Los Angeles.

It was as an ambulance crew member during the turbulent 1960s and '70s that Valentine got his first exposure to street gang peculiarities – their propensity for violence, their unflinching code of machismo, and their loyalty to the parent gang. Another feature he saw repeatedly on gang member victims – and one that particularly sparked his interest – was their identifying tattoos. He recognized even then that this skin art could and should serve as a valuable tool for law enforcement personnel, especially gang cops who had been given the responsibility of identifying and validating illegal street gang members. At the time, Valentine did not realize that he too would one day put this knowledge to use in identifying prison gang members.

In 1974, Valentine moved with his wife and three children to Carson City, Nevada, where he found employment as a correctional officer with the Nevada Department of Prisons. The prison system at that time was racked with gang violence. Inmate murders and officer assaults were at an all-time high, and the administrative officials seemed powerless to curtail it.

The Aryan Warriors, a white supremacy gang, was regarded as the most powerful. Most AW members were incarcerated at the Nevada State Prison, a century-old maximum security facility in Carson City. The Aryans were often challenged by the Black Warriors, a violent African American group. With fewer numbers, but equally violent, was the Tribe, whose members were Native Americans.

The Aryans and the Natives got along fairly well, and both regarded the Black Warriors as an enemy. For Valentine and the other correctional officers, identifying these prison gang members was relatively easy. Monitoring their activities, paying careful attention to groupings on the yard, and developing reliable informants worked reasonably well. What they lacked, however, was an ID photo file that would validate gang membership and stand up in court. The current administration made little effort to compile one. And gang violence increased.

After three officers were savagely beaten and stabbed by members of the Black Warriors, Nevada's governor moved swiftly to replace the prison administrators, most of who had degrees in education or psychology, with a tough, experienced San Quentin prison warden, George Sumner. Sumner was lured into Nevada with one express purpose: to lock up all gang leaders and stop the violence.

The legislature appropriated enough money for Sumner to install additional fencing around the housing units, along with an armed catwalk and a revised culinary gun cage. To house the most violent inmates, an isolated 40-cell super max lockup block was constructed, incorporating the latest state-of-the-art electronics.

Gang leaders were pulled up, interviewed, photographed, and validated. The single most reliable gang membership validator proved to be the gang-specific tattoo. Once validated, the inmate was slammed in the new unit indefinitely and was allowed out of his cell only briefly every other day for exercise and a shower. Violence at max subsided dramatically. Warden Sumner was promoted as director of prisons and replaced by a sharp former army paratrooper.

During the mid-'80s, there was a sweeping change in the prison population as younger and more violent inmates poured into the system. African Americans claiming affiliation with the Crips or Bloods were being seen with greater frequency, and there was a dramatic increase in young Hispanic inmates, many claiming affiliation with Los Angeles or Las Vegas street gangs.

The new warden called a meeting of his sergeants and lieutenants to discuss the problem. Valentine, now a sergeant, was given the assignment of identifying and tracking all suspected gang members among the newer generation of inmates. He was encouraged to seek additional training but was told there was no money available for this in the prison budget. He would have to fund the training seminars himself. Cognizant of the need for keeping abreast of the latest gang trends, he began attending all available seminars on the subject, most of which were out of state. He became an expert in reading gang tattoos and compiled an extensive file on hundreds of prison gang members within a few years.

When George Sumner left the Nevada prison system in the early 1990s, it took a drastic turn. The new director of prisons had an entirely different view of prison gang members and how to best deal with them. Sergeant Valentine was called into a meeting with the assistant director and told to stop all gang identification efforts.

"To make a concerted effort to identify prison gang members," Valentine was told, "does nothing more than give them stature that they do not deserve. You are hereby ordered to cease all activities pertaining to gang identification." Furthermore, Sergeant Valentine was advised that if he chose to continue attending gang seminars, the prison could no longer provide him with administrative leave. What this meant, of course, was that not only would Valentine have to fund his own training, but he would have to use his own accumulated annual leave.

His immediate supervisors, who were stunned by the latest events, suggested that he continue working on his files quietly. However, they cautioned him that if the administration found out, he would most likely be severely reprimanded. Valentine could have taken the easy way out and given up the fight. But he, along with his immediate supervisors, regarded the newly appointed director and his assistant as neophytes from out of state, who would be around for a short while and then move on. Thus, he continued working on gang files quietly until, as predicted, the prison system bid farewell to the director and his assistant.

The next director had been a longtime prison employee and was a former official with the Department of Parole and Probation. One of his top priorities, he announced, would be to renew gang identification and tracking, with emphasis on locking up all gang leaders. Once again, Sergeant Valentine was permitted to work on gang identification without fear of reprisal from his own administration.

After 20 years with the prison system, Sergeant Valentine retired. He now spends his time writing, teaching gang identification and management in the home and workplace, and working as a consultant on gang matters. In 1995, Sergeant Valentine published his first book, Gang Intelligence Manual (Paladin Press), which became an instant success. In 1998, he produced a two-part video (restricted to law enforcement personnel) called Reading Gang Tattoos. His latest book, released by Paladin in May 2000, is Gangs and Their Tattoos.

Q & A

Paladin: Has the gang problem improved at all since you published your first book, or is it only getting worse?
Valentine: Sadly, the problem of illegal gangs has continued to rise. Small-town America, at one time isolated from big-city crime, has awakened to ponder the realities of graffiti, group lawlessness and drive-by shootings in their once quiet neighborhoods. This expansion of gang activity from the larger cities into rural America may be attributed in part to the efforts of big-city gang members who have relocated in order to further expand their criminal activities and empires. Despite the ever-increasing law enforcement presence, gang activity continues to be one of the nation's gravest problems.

Paladin: How has the ability to identify gangsters helped police and prison guards deal with gang violence and other activity?
Valentine: Gang tattoos are still the best single identifier an officer can use when validating gang membership. Using this criteria, street gang investigators are compiling volumes of identifying photos and other data on suspects. This information is stored on computer data bases, disseminated and shared with other cooperating departments nationwide. This has greatly enhanced the ability of law enforcement agencies throughout the country to identify and apprehend criminals. On the street, of course, the mere wearing of a tattoo is not a crime and is only used as an identifying feature. However, inside the nation's prisons, the wearing of a gang tattoo can send the inmate to max lockup for years. In California, for instance, when an inmate is validated as a gang member, he or she is immediately given a high-risk classification and moved to a high-security institution.

Paladin: What is the newest challenge on the gang front – both on the street and in prison?
Valentine: The newest challenge on the gang front must be the emergence of the violent Mexican drug cartels. These cartels are run by the most ruthless gangsters yet seen in the Western Hemisphere, outdistancing even the Colombian drug merchants. Just across the border in Tijuana, cartel members have slaughtered scores of police officers, judges, prosecutors, innocent bystanders, and entire families, including children. On February 27, 2000, Police Chief Alfredo de la Torre Marquez, 49, driving alone after attending Mass, was cut down by cartel members who pulled alongside his Suburban and opened fire with semiautomatic weapons. Responding police counted more than 100 bullet holes in him and the car. As of this date, no suspects have been arrested in his slaying. However, one of the cars used by the assassins was recovered and found to have been stolen in Chula Vista, California, which exemplifies the ease with which these persons move across the border. And herein lies the threat to us. Nearly every major U.S. city has reported the emergence of Mexican immigrant criminals, many of which have ties to these drug cartels.

Inside the nation's prisons, this is even more evident. Mexican immigrants – Border Brothers, Sinaloan Cowboys, and other sophisticated criminal family members – are forming their own prison gangs. These imports, at times, will cooperate with the existing gangs in controlling the prison drug markets. Others disavow this practice, preferring instead to engage in open warfare with these existing gangs for complete control of the prison rackets. And in some of our prisons, where these immigrants now outnumber the local talent, they do indeed control the drug market.

Paladin: In your opinion, which gangs pose the biggest threat today and why?
Valentine: Difficult to say, since they are all a threat to the nation's security. But those that come to mind first are the ones that have developed a rigid structure and maintain a strong leadership and are expanding nationwide. This includes all gangs that ride under the People Nation (Latin Kings and Vice Lords, for instance) or the Folks Nation (Gangster Disciples).

These two pervasive organizations are spreading their poison nationwide by recruiting extensively in disadvantagd areas throughout the United States. And alarmingly, they have targeted schools and playgrounds as recruitment pools. This practice of getting to the nation's impressionable youth so early may be creating a generational split that will be difficult to overturn. And to compound the problem, young females are joining the gangs and becoming every bit as violent as are their male counterparts.

Another threat, often overlooked, is the political clout these two "nations" have developed. In south Chicago, for instance voting blocks made up of thousands of youthful gang sympathizers have been able to sway the outcome of local elections. Local political hacks play on this power, in many instances, by developing strong friendships with suspected gang leaders.

Paladin: When you were working as a prison guard, how was your relationship with gangbangers?
Valentine: Working inside the walls for years afforded me the opportunity to observe gang members (and other inmates) with their facades stripped away. By this I mean a perceptive officer working face to face with these people, year in and year out, should be able to discern and use to his or her advantage the weaknesses, strengths, and other characteristics and peculiarities of prisoners – traits not so easily perceived by the street cop.

I got along fairly well with most inmate gang members. I say most, because there were others – confrontational inmates – with whom I didn't get along at all. And as a line sergeant, I was expected to do what was required to maintain security in the prison. With this type of inmate, the taser, OC gas, or other use of force was generally necessary to gain compliance. I personally didn't like to spend a lot of time talking or negotiating with prison gang members. With them, I learned that talking was time consuming and usually inappropriate.

Fortunately, most of the hard-core gang members were in lockup. This was the preferred method of controlling their activities. That way, when one acted out or otherwise became a problem, the problem was isolated to a small area – usually his cell.

When out of his cell for a visit, classification, or other procedures, the lockup inmate was usually restrained by leg and belly chains. The exception to this was when the inmate was out for exercise, usually in a restricted pen and where there was overhead gun coverage. (Correctional officers do not carry firearms in prison. Gun coverage is provided by the perimeter towers and the rooftop gun posts and catwalks.)

Paladin: Did you ever feel your life was threatened?
Valentine: There were many times my life was threatened by unruly inmates. But conwise inmates will not threaten correctional officers because doing so brings heat down upon them. For instance, we might have torn apart a threatening inmate's cell many times in a single week while looking for weapons. Things like this disrupt a prisoner's day-to-day existence, and so most of them are not so vocal (although they may be harboring such thoughts). But to answer your question, prison correctional officers are grossly outnumbered by inmates. And if the inmates prioritize harming you above everything else, they will do it. They have the numbers, the patience, and the strength to do so. A correctional officer has to accept this fact and, of course, be prepared at all times to utilize whatever advantage he or she may have to prevent this from happening. Fear of the consequences prevents most inmates from carrying out their threats.

Paladin: How did you deal with the day-to-day threat of violence, and what was your most effective tactic for avoiding it yourself?
Valentine: Contrary to popular thought, violence in prison is not a daily event. Most days pass uneventful. Although there are times when prison violence is carefully conceived, most of the time it is unexpected and jumps off suddenly. I learned to discern the subtle cues that signaled impending problems. These include one or more inmates trying to stare the officer down, unusual groupings of inmates on the yard, more inmates asking for protective custody, increased canteen sales, increased hostility directed at the officers, and the time-tested "gut feelings." Another invaluable help was information gleaned from reliable informants.

Every savvy correctional officer who works the yard and is face to face with inmates develops informants. Reliable informants will let the officer know who is making weapons, who is dealing drugs, who is planning trouble, and any other significant circumstances. Does the inmate play a dangerous game being a snitch? Absolutely! Snitches and baby rapers (child molesters) are considered the lowest forms of life in prison. Many have a short life span. What do the snitchers expect in return? Favors: extra food, phone calls, a state television set or radio, a different cell mate, a prison job with a pay number (salary), or any number or other things that tend to make time a little easier. Does the officer step out of bounds by providing informants with perks not available to the rest of the population? Yes, he or she may. But it may be a matter of survival to do so.

Paladin: Do you see any end in sight in terms of gang activity on the streets? What do you think is the best way to try to curtail it?
Valentine: Drive-by shootings, mayhem, and other violent criminal activity have become a nighttime occurrence on America's streets. I see no quick end to it. I think the courts should hand down mandatory prison sentences for anyone convicted of these types of crimes, especially if a weapon is involved.

The feds could do more by mobilizing gang task forces and going after the guns of the law breakers, while lightening up on the law-abiding citizen. Will they? Possibly now, with a new administration and an ethical attorney general.

And I personally feel the citizens should be allowed more freedom in defense of their lives, homes, and property. I support sensible gun ownership by law-abiding citizens along with concealed weapon permits. The jurisdictions where this is allowed show a sharp reduction in crime.

Victims' rights. We have all watched the courts bend over backward to ensure the guilty party is afforded all of his rights, while ignoring the plight of the victim. This is wrong and should be amended. The victim is most often the forgotten party.

Citizen patrols working under the guidance of law enforcement agencies can be a valuable tool in neighborhoods that have a high crime rate. Graffiti hot lines work to alert the police of areas frequented by gang members. In conclusion, it becomes imperative that the law-abiding citizen take an active role in identifying and reporting to the police the presence of gang activity in their neighborhoods.

GANGS AND THEIR TATTOOS
Identifying Gangbangers on the Street and in Prison