Gangs still plague the Puget Sound – especially among teens

SEATTLE — Juvenile crime is exploding – with more kids committing more violent crimes around Puget Sound. Now KIRO7 is finding out, that a lot of crime from juveniles is committed by kids who identify as gang members.

Data from the Washington State Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WSASPC) shows juvenile arrests in 2021 totaled 4,625 arrests. That shot up to 7,730 arrests in 2023, an uptick of 67%.

In fact, both Everett and Renton police say, most kids who commit violent crimes identify as being part of a gang.

“For sure the majority,” said Sgt. David Sinex of the Everett Police Department.

“Yeah, I’d say a majority,” said Renton Police Chief, Jon Schuldt.

But gangs have evolved since their heyday in the early 90s. Now gangs are more fractured, harder to identify and harder to track. But they’re no less dangerous.

“Assaults with firearms, homicides, carjackings, robberies… pursuits in stolen cars,” said Chief Schuldt.

And sometimes, graffiti and turf wars are still at play.

“Some tags where gangs are crossing each other out, which is seen as really disrespectful, has in the past resulted in shootings,” Sinex said.

HOW GANGS HAVE CHANGED:

Today, gang members are younger.

“Our gang population is primarily, I would say, between the ages of 13 and 20,” Sinex said.

Gabe Morales worked for 25 years in the King County Correctional Facility and is nationally known as a gang expert.

“We have kids who are younger now with more powerful weapons,” Morales said. He also says gangs have less hierarchy, less defined turfs, and many have moved out of the city.

“Now they’ve spread out in the suburbs because of gentrification,” Morales said.

Recruiting for gangs now often happens online.

“Through social media or any other electronic means,” Schuldt said.

Videos showing flashing money, cars, women can all entice kids. Morales – and other law enforcement – all agree that sometimes the gangs that these kids are part of today are less formal and sometimes don’t even have a name.

“That is a good example of a money crew,” Morales said. “They’re coming together to make money to commit crimes and then some crime scene after they break up and then join other groups. So it’s real hard for detectives to follow the cases,” he said.

ARE GANGS ACTIVE IN YOUR AREA? WHERE TO WATCH OUT FOR GANG GRAFFITI:

KIRO 7 reached out to 16 police jurisdictions around Puget Sound to get a better idea of gang activity around Western Washington. Because of the more fractured nature of gangs today, gang locations are more difficult to pinpoint. One telltale sign can still be graffiti and rivalries can be spotted when you see one color of spray paint crossing out the tags in another color.

Auburn

Experiences gang crime. Their Special Investigations Unit, along with the Auburn crime analyst, tracks gang activity and individuals.  Auburn PD also works with Major Crimes Detectives (King County) when there are gang ties to shootings along with other major crimes.

Burien

Has a gang presence. The situation has improved since 2018. King County handles any gang-tracking activity.

Gang graffiti:

• Ambaum corridor between 128th and 143rd
• Boulevard Park area around South 120th Street and Des Moines Memorial Drive
• The City’s Downtown core along 1st Ave South and S 152nd Street. It branches out a couple of blocks in all directions.

Des Moines

Does not readily track gang graffiti statistics.

• Most graffiti is tagging that’s not gang-related. One gang-related graffiti “hot spot” would be Pacific Ridge and Pacific Highway South (30th Avenue South between South 216th Street and Kent Des Moines Road).

Everett

Tracks gang crimes. Their former gang unit has become the Violent Crime Unit. Juvenile Gang Crimes have decreased significantly in 2024 but typically fluctuate significantly from year to year. Impacts on the up and down can be because of changes like elder gang members being arrested, or kids involved in gangs moving out of the neighborhood. Unlike other jurisdictions (Renton, Lakewood, Tacoma) that cited heavy recruiting on social media, Everett police said gang recruiting in Everett primarily happens by neighborhood, or who kids associate with in school. Gangs with Hispanic roots dominate in the North Sound.

Gang graffiti hot spots:

• Jackson Park Northeast tip of Everett
• 75th by Lions Park
• West Casino Road

Kent

Does not currently have a dedicated or identified “Gang Unit” or a specific investigator for those types of crimes.  Kent PD assigns those investigations to the Special Investigations Unit to investigate.

Lacey

Gang crime is very limited according to management analysts.

Graffiti: a little bit of tagging at park restrooms and school restrooms, but sporadic.

Lakewood

One of the few police departments that still have a Gang Unit, though it’s not full-time and operates more as an additional assignment or duty. Officers formally track gang activity and graffiti. Lakewood PD notes that gang activity has evolved with modern technology and most of it is done through social media.  A spokesperson said gang graffiti is one trend that has not changed.  “A handful of local ‘homegrown’ Lakewood Hispanic/Latin gangs that are in constant rivalry with other Hispanic/Latin gangs that have migrated north to Washington from California.”

Gang graffiti:

• 84th Street South corridor that runs East and West starting at South Tacoma Way in Lakewood, to South Hosmer Street and well into Tacoma
• Significant graffiti behind the historical Lakewood Landmark B & I, 8012 South Tacoma Way.
• Some of that graffiti is on property belonging to Extra Space Storage, 7880 South Tacoma Way, which falls in the City of Tacoma’s jurisdiction

Lynnwood

Many of the gang members are known to Lynnwood Police and attend Meadowdale High School in Lynnwood. Overall gang activity in South Snohomish County is monitored by the Special Operations Section.

Gang graffiti:

• 156th Street Southwest and Highway 99, where she will see graffiti from our most active gangs prominently on display; two gangs primarily battling over a neighborhood in that area.

Marysville

Primarily just rumblings of gang issues through school resource officers. Gangs do not play a strong influence on the community, but Marysville PD now has a new crime analyst to build a better picture of gang activity.

Gang graffiti: occasionally pops up but not aware of any hot spots.

Mount Vernon

Has monthly resource group to track criminal gang behavior. They have a Gang Resource Officer and have noticed manipulation by older gang members to carry out some of their acts, whether it’s graffiti-type stuff or theft, but even with more serious like stealing a car. However, not seeing a lot of organized crime based on criminal gang associations.

Gang graffiti: This is the primary crime. Tagging is sporadic, pops up in high-visibility places like overpasses and there’s a lot of crossover up and down the I-5 corridor.

Olympia

Not aware of gang activity and does not have gang hotspots for graffiti.

Other Pierce County

Limited gang activity in the county.

• One place that constantly has graffiti is the apartment area near 76th Street Court East and Golden Given Road East. It is just south of the border with the City of Tacoma.

Renton

Sees gang activity. The newly launched Violent Crime Unit tackles gang crime among other violent crimes. Now see a decrease in juvenile crime since May.

Gang graffiti hot spots:

• An alley behind 300 Park Avenue near North 4th Street
• Union Avenue Northeast between Sunset Boulevard Northeast and Northeast 4th Street

Seattle

Seattle Police’s Gang Unit was revised to the Gun Violence Reduction Unit (GVRU) in 2020. GVRU does not actively track gang data within Seattle. GVRU conducts the majority of investigations regarding gun violence, whether or not its gang related. Gang specialist Gabe Morales says several local gangs are still active in Seattle.

Gang graffiti:  The city’s inter-departmental graffiti team doesn’t track gang graffiti separate from all reported graffiti. Currently, the neighborhoods where graffiti is most frequently reported are Capitol Hill, Rainier Valley, South Park and SODO.

Shelton

Not aware of gang activity

Tacoma

Works with the South Sound Gang Task Force to investigate gang crimes. The Hilltop where the Crips were active in the 90s can still be a gang hot spot. A spokesperson said gang members who fall under the “Crips” and “Bloods” still exist, but today involve individuals who will associate with so-called “rival” gang members, or even be part of multiple gangs. Social media is “heavily used” by members of today’s gangs. Juveniles in gangs are often “part of a social group with a common interest in criminal activity” but are not part of a formal gang.

Graffiti: no specific gang graffiti “hot spots”, though other jurisdictions pointed out graffiti at Extra Space Storage 7880 S Tacoma Way which falls in the City of Tacoma’s jurisdiction.

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