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Prison gangs Q&A: The ‘nice’ officer vs. the ‘professional’ officer

Note from the author, By Sgt. Barry Evert: After my article titled Survival of the fittest, both Corrections1 and I were asked many questions by our members pertaining to gangs in prison. I will make an effort to answer as many as possible in the next few months.

Q: I am a new officer. There are gang members everywhere in our jail. How should I best deal with them to maintain my authority while not setting myself up as a target?

A: I have some bad news for you: You became a target of the gangs the minute you pinned that badge on your crisp new shirt. I understand your question, but we have to establish the fact that your very position, your oath and your dedication have set you up as a prime target for gangs.

You are an 8-point buck sleeping in a clearing; you are a prize trophy for anyone that cares to take a shot at you. Your job now is to get out of the clearing and into the woods.

Gangs are part of the subculture that makes up our nation’s prisons. We will spend millions of dollars fighting them, and if we get lucky we can keep our heads above water in this war. The fact is, it is your job to walk among these predators every day, and protect society from their devious ways.

Again, this primes you to be a target. There is only one way to avoid being a target, and that is to know your job, and do it well.

Let me dispel some myths first.

Some officers think that if they are extra “nice” to these gang members, then gang members will not attack them. They feel that if they bend the rules a bit for the gang members, they would never target him for assault. This is not only wrong, but it creates a false sense of security.

There will come a time, at some point in almost all of our careers, when we will be in an institution where a certain gang decides to organize an assault against officers. Being predators, the gang members will pick their targets based on how easy they can execute their plan.

Now who do you think they are going to pick?

The nice officer, will inevitably give up a lot of tactical readiness to pander to these inmates. I have seen these types of officers get dangerously close to the inmates, and allow them into their personal space without much thought of consequence.

The professional officer will be firm, fair and consistent, giving the inmates what they are entitled to while keeping their relationship on a professional level. Constantly aware of his surroundings, it will be harder for the gang member to get close enough to the watchful eye of the professional officer.

So who do you think the inmates will pick?

The answer here is simple. The officer who chooses to place himself in a position that takes him “too close” to the inmate is the easier target. And no matter how much that officer thinks the gang member likes him, when the gang member is ordered to assault an officer, he has no real choice, and will pick the easy target.

You must ensure that the gang member understands that you are there to perform a task. The gang member needs to understand that what you do is never personal, but all in the interest of carrying out your oath. Remaining firm and fair is a big part of this, and you must do it the same way everyday.

If it looks like you have to enforce a rule that may create tension, find a senior officer to go with you, but you must enforce the rules. You can’t decide that an inmate deserves leniency because he is the “shot caller” and keeps things quiet on the yard. If you decide to work this way, then you are essentially paying the inmate with leniency to do your job for you.

There is nothing wrong with an open dialogue with inmates, but it has to be kept professional. I could write for hours on how to accomplish this, but you will have to learn by watching senior officers work.

Keep an open mind; you may not necessarily agree with the senior officer’'s tactics all the time, but take the time to ask the officer why he did something a certain way. You probably won’t always understand why more experienced officers do things the way they do, but you will never learn if you don’t ask for help from them.

You must maintain your authority by sticking to the rules, and doing so respectfully and professionally.

Just now, as I was showing my answer to your question to one of my colleagues, he rolled his eyes. He told me I sounded like a candidate for a public information officer, and if I used the word “professional” one more time, he would bash my head in with a stapler.

As I laughed loudly about this, one of the inmates down the hall began kicking his door. The officer who had just given me grief about my answer walked over to the inmate, spoke to him for a few minutes, and returned to his station. I noticed the inmate had stopped kicking, and asked him what had happened. The officer went into a five minute conversation about how he had explained to the inmate that it was this type of behavior that had landed him in this unit, and then set out clear rules on how to return to his regular housing. In the end, the inmate had agreed, and has since improved enormously.

My point here is that same officer used his professional experience to not just enforce the rules, but change behavior in an inmate. The same professionalism he scoffed at earlier was on display when he had to go do his job.

How effective do you think it would have been for him to run over to the door and begin screaming at the inmate calling him every name in the book? So, at the risk of catching a stapler to my head, this officer is a true professional.

We read that this is expected of us in every departmental training course we take, yet we’re turned off by the sound of it. The bottom line is that being a true professional is your first line of defense against gangs. Knowing they are out there and working against you is the second defense.

So keep reading up on these thugs, and learn everything you can about how and where they operate. Even though we walk beside them every day at work, through professionalism and knowledge, we can stay one step ahead.


Q: I see gang graffiti on the cell wall all the time. What does it mean? What can it tell me? How can I use it?

A: I’m getting a headache thinking about how to write a short response to this question. Let’s take it one step at a time.

First of all, I will have to assume that you do not have the luxury of a gang task force. If you do, you should report these “tags” to them in detail, along with the name and identifying number of the inmate who put them there.

If you do not have a gang task force, it is up to you to keep track of these “tags.” The easiest way is to note the inmate you suspect put the tag up — by name, race or even known gang affiliation. This will be the first step in determining what a tag means.

Copy the tag onto a sheet of paper, as closely as you can, or better yet, take a picture of it if you can.

Armed with this information, hit that information superhighway! One of the best sites I have found to help you identify tags and gangs is www.gangsorus.com. Robert Walker has done an excellent job compiling information about different gangs for all of us to learn from.

You can also go to the forums in Corrections1 or PoliceOne and ask fellow officers. There are many talented gang task force officers there that are more than willing to help you. Explain the tag in the forum, along with the race of the inmate (if you know it), and you will probably get a good answer from them.

Many of us check the forums constantly. Not only does it give us a chance to help others, but it also can be a wealth of intelligence for us to identify new, up-and-coming gangs.

Once you get the information, begin watching your inmates. See who hangs out with whom. Watch where the inmates sit to exercise on the yard, and take notes. Soon you will have a pretty good layout of who is gang affiliated. This information can prove critical when it is time to investigate disturbances or crimes, especially when an inmate claims he is not part of a disturbance or riot because he is not a member of a particular gang.

Imagine the smile on your lieutenant’s face when you take out your notebook and break down how the inmate always hangs out with the inmate you caught tagging a cell. This is no small task, but it’s a great way to get to know your surroundings, and through time and research, it will make you a more effective officer.

More on prison gangs. . .
Survival of the fittest
Compromising the integrity of staff in prison, Part 1 — Are you at risk?
Compromising the integrity of prison staff, Part 2 — Methods and Solutions

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About the author
Sgt. Evert started his career in 1999 at Pelican Bay Super Max in Crescent City, Calif., then transferred in late 200 to High Desert Calif. state prison where he worked until returning to Pelican Bay as a Sergeant in 2006, where he is currently. Sgt. Evert has 10 years experience in dealing with both street and prison gangs. His book, “Scars and Bars” is due out anytime, and is dedicated to helping new Officers efficiently survive their first two years on the job, both on the job and at home. To Sgt. Evert, correctional officer safety is paramount, and is the core of what he writes and teaches.

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