2015 National Gang Report (NGR) - Violent Street and Prison Gangs, Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (OMG), Central American and Mexican Transnational Criminal Organizations (MTCOs), Drugs, Use of Social Media

This excellent report has been professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction. The 2015 National Gang Report (NGR) presents an overview of current gang activities and trends in the United States. Intelligence in this report is derived primarily from a survey administered by the National Alliance of Gang Investigators' Associations (NAGIA) and from a second survey on Safe Streets and Gang Task Forces administered by the FBI Safe Streets and Gang Unit (SSGU). The quantitative data herein is supplemented by qualitative open source reports and reporting from federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement from across the nation.

Content: Preface * Scope and Methodology * National Gang Intelligence Center * National Alliance of Gang Investigators' Associations * Executive Summary * Key Findings * Street Gangs * Membership * Criminal Activity * Drug Distribution * Intimidation/Threats * Financial Crimes * Alliances and Rivalries * Trends * Threats to Law Enforcement * Prison Gangs * Membership * Structure * Criminal Activity * Smuggling * Drugs * Trends * Corruption of Prison Staff * Measures of Open Concealment * Female Prison Representation * Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs * Membership and Recruitment * Criminal Activity * Trends * Gangs and the Southwest Border * Gangs and Extremist Groups * Black Separatist Extremists * White Supremacist Extremists * Anti-Government Indoctrination * Gangs in the Military and Government Institutions * Gang Involvement in Sex Trafficking and Prostitution * Gangs and Technology * Recruitment * Communication * Targeting Rivals * Criminal Activity * Thwart Law Enforcement * Law Enforcement Actions and Resources * Outlook * Acknowledgements * Appendices

The 2015 NGR examines gangs by categories of street gangs, prison gangs, and OMGs. Intelligence herein explores how all three gang types pursue the same objectives -and commit the same crimes in those pursuits - yet diverge in how they operate. As this report demonstrates, the divergence is due to the fact that each gang is a product of its environment with its own rules of conduct and methods of operation; thus, street gangs differ from prison gangs, while prison and street gangs both differ from OMGs. Understanding the specific mentality of each gang type is integral to disruption and dismantlement. For that reason, the 2015 NGR designates separate sections for street gangs, prison gangs, and OMGs. Each section details the basic characteristics, functions, and partnerships of each gang type and thereby illustrates how each gang type poses a unique threat to the nation.

The 2015 NGR focuses on gang trends from a national standpoint and explains how all gang types partake in criminal endeavors that serve to spread their ideology, widen their networks, produce illicit funds, and secure power. Findings herein reveal that gangs continue to engage in a range of activities in order to meet one or all of these ends. To meet their primary objective - to make money - gangs are increasing their involvement in the high-profit crimes of sex trafficking and prostitution. As a means of securing power, gangs continue to seek employment within the military and within government institutions and law enforcement agencies. Gangs also continue to form partnerships with other criminal organizations in order to widen their networks; thus, gangs have connected with Mexican Transnational Criminal Organizations (MTCOs), sex trafficking rings, and extremist groups. Gangs are also increasing their use of technology - social media in particular - in order to spread their message and recruit new members. Every criminal avenue gangs pursue perpetuates the cycle of securing power, which translates to money, and vice versa.