The violent Hispanic gang Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, was once the greatest worry of Maryland law enforcement, especially in the counties bordering Washington.
But that has quickly changed.
As officers gained ground against the group, known for its execution-style slayings, another well-known national gang made its way to prominence within Maryland borders.
“The biggest threat is now the Bloods,” said Detective Patrick Word, president of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Gang Investigators Network. “We have gotten a handle on MS-13.”
Word, who spoke Thursday at the first Maryland Gang Summit in Columbia, said 10,000 gang members are living in Maryland.
The Bloods? prominence in Maryland has risen because of former inmates in the state?s prisons, Word said.
Inmates may not be associated with a gang before being convicted, but after serving time, they often emerge as a members of a gang, especially the Bloods, he said.
Today, a 21-year-old Bloods member will be sentenced in Harford County for the shooting of a cab driver. Speakers at the conference said the gang member killed the driver to show he belonged in the gang.
The second-largest gang on the minds of law enforcement is the Black Guerrilla Family, which Word called “an extremist group.” It also emerged out of the state?s prisons.
Recently, officials have seen Black Guerrilla Family graffiti in Baltimore City, Word said.
He noted that about 100 known gangs are in the city. “They are neighborhood-based and cultural-based,” he said.
At the summit, Gov. Robert Ehrlich said he favored creating a statewide gang database to allow law enforcement agencies to collaborate in fighting the criminals.
U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski secured $2 million in federal funds for the creation of a statewide anti-gang initiative.
Bad company
Biggest gang threats in Maryland:
» Bloods
» Black Guerilla Family
» MS-13
» Tiny Rascal Gangsters
» Street Thug Criminals
» Hell?s Angels
» Vatos Locos
» Pagans
» South Side Locos
Source: Mid-Atlantic Regional Gang Investigators Network
