Fort Wayne Police have linked two of the city's six recent murders to gang activity.
Though not a rampant problem, gangs are a part of Warsaw and Kosciusko County.
Typically associated with metropolitan areas like Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, gangs have developed a presence in suburban and rural areas not only in the United States but worldwide.Warsaw and the surrounding area have felt the effects of gang activity. From petty crimes to felonies, gangs are a part of the community.
"It's a real problem everywhere," said Don Starkey, who is both a master level mental health counselor at the Bowen Center and a member of the Kosciusko County Gang Task Force.
Starkey, Warsaw Police Department's Mike Cox, Indiana State Police's Lori Lemler and Kosciusko County Boys and Girls Club Executive Director Cindy Knepper comprise the task force, which began in the mid-1990s.
According to Starkey, gangs' main focus is drug trafficking, and gangs from bigger cities have set up shop in places like Warsaw to expand their customer base and aid in trafficking.
The Vice Lords, Gangster Disciples and Latin Kings are gangs from Chicago that have tried to make their presence known in the area. Gangs like Surenos 13 and Notenos 14 are gangs from California that have been spotted in the area.
One way the gangs mark their territory is by graffiti, or "tagging." By tagging an area, the gang might want to make their presence known or it may be a way of letting people know where they are selling drugs.
Starkey noted the Warsaw Police Department does a good job of taking graffiti down as soon as it comes up.
Cox referred to a time in November where there were a series of graffiti marks in the Boggs Industrial Park area one night and near Whispering Pines and Levi Lee Road the next night. WPD was able to take the graffiti down in short order.
But dealing with gangs is a constant battle.
Cox said the amount of gang activity has gone up and down over the years.
"It's gone up and down like a yo-yo," said Cox. "In the mid to late '90s, they were really growing. Then 9/11 happened and it was like there was a moratorium on gang problems."
Cox said by taking down graffiti and letting gang members know the police are aware of them, it keeps gang violence and crimes caused by gangs down.
"It's not illegal to be in a gang," said Cox. "But we let them know that if they're in a gang and they break the law, we'll be there."
The makeup of gangs isn't restricted to an ethnic group or decided by somebody's socio-economic status.
"It involves kids who come from single-parent homes to entitled kids. It crosses racial lines," said Starkey.
Starkey also pointed out that many gangs are more liberal in who they'll take in when moving to suburban and rural areas.
In a three-pronged attack using counseling, diversion and law enforcement, the task force is working to limit the problem of gangs.
Starkey said he has dealt with many kids who suffer from a type of post-traumatic stress disorder following their ordeals in gangs.
"A lot of kids I've dealt with, their conscience kicks in at some point," said Starkey.
Starkey said a big way gangs sell themselves to kids is by offering a sense of family.
While gangs preach family, some of the ways they initiate new members borders on barbaric.
Starkey said many times new gang members will have to "walk the line," where they walk a straight line while being beaten by veteran gang members. "Picking up pennies" involves a new gang member having to pick up a number of pennies from the ground while they are being beaten.
For many women wanting affiliation in gangs, they must perform sex acts on gang members.
Starkey said many times young girls wanting to join gangs must be "diced in." That involves the girl rolling a die and whatever number it lands on, the girl must have sex with that number of gang members.
While Cox and Lemler focus on the law enforcement side, and Starkey focuses on counseling, Knepper focuses on diversion.
At the Boys and Girls Club, kids are given an alternative. The club is located at 800 Park Avenue in Warsaw.
On average, 95 kids come to the club on a daily basis. All kids from ages 5 to 18 are welcome.
It's open Monday and Tuesday from 3 to 9:30 p.m., and Wednesday and Thursday from 3 to 8 p.m.
"There has to be a safe place for kids to be," said Knepper. "We just try to keep it real with the kids here and listen."
Knepper said the club is also always looking for volunteers. Knepper and her volunteers also go out in the community and to schools, and try and reach out to kids.
Knepper said the club tries to offer a safe place with a family-type atmosphere, and that kids are fed and given homework help.
For more information on the Boys and Girls Club, call 574-268-1155.
Cox advised that if anyone has questions regarding gangs in the area, call him at the Warsaw Police Department at 574-372-9515.
