According to Fort Lauderdale law enforcement, gangs are considered structured organizations in which two or more people engage in criminal activity as part of that organization's purpose. There are many types of gangs, and they can be found throughout Florida. Gangs are reported to be a major source of crime, and gang-related crime is considered to be more and more prevalent in recent years. Members of these organizations hang out in, and control, certain areas of cities and towns. They claim these areas as their own and call them their "turfs." In some cases, gangs have established turfs in outlying areas of Fort Lauderdale & the Broward County area. Even small areas of Florida prisons and jails have been claimed by prison gangs as their turfs, such as portions of recreation yards, TV rooms, and dining halls. A rival gang member can't cross from one turf into another. To do so is a sign of disrespect to the opposing gang. This display of insolence can result in the death of the trespassing gang member. Gang leaders who have been incarcerated may still run their gang's activities from behind bars by sending out messages, most of which are encrypted. These messages are often directed to fellow gang members in the Fort Lauderdale area.
Gangs usually require prospective members to undergo an initiation before they're allowed into the organization. Often it's mandatory that the initiate spill the blood of another person—usually a rival gang member—through an act of physical violence such a stabbing or shooting. In Fort Lauderdale, this initiation rite is referred to as a "blood in." To leave or quit the gang, a similar act must be accomplished; this is called a "blood out." Gang members are seldom allowed to simply quit, however; therefore, it's not uncommon for the blood spilled during the blood out to be that of the outgoing gang member. The remaining members feel that the member who wants out generally knows too much about their illegal activities, so they kill him to prevent him from snitching to the authorities.
Members of gangs use certain identifiers to let others know to which gang they belong. For instance, the members of a particular gang may all wear their left pant legs rolled up to mid-calf, or they may all wear their hats tilted to the right side of their heads. They may even always stand with either their right or left hands in their pockets. Tattoos are also used to identify gang members and are a large part of gang culture.
Fort Lauderdale detectives assigned to work a gang detail or task force go to incredible lengths to learn the various cultures, identifiers, hand signals, signs, and slang of the gang. They must also be constantly aware of and alert to the gang's activities, since it's sometimes thought to be an honor and a privilege for a gang member to kill a law enforcement officer.
Detectives have worked undercover in an attempt to infiltrate gangs, but their attempts are often in vain due to the blood-in ritual. Fort Lauderdale police officers aren't allowed to participate in any illegal activity that would require them to physically harm another person. If they refuse to perform a particular ritual, they take the risk of exposing their undercover status.
