The Department's Special Enforcement Section handles gang investigation and oversees four permanent Superior Court injunctions that are in place on three gangs in Oceanside. The injunctions restrict the documented gang members from certain activities.
Criminal gangs are often involved in vandalism and tagging, dealing illegal drugs, violence against rival gang members and occasionally citizens at large, selling stolen goods and trading illegal weapons.
Gangs affect everyone. They harm communities by dealing drugs in neighborhoods. Rival gangs fight for control which can turn small communities into combat zones.
Gang members deface buildings with spray paint to warn each other to stay out of their "turf". Gangs also have influence on schools in some areas by stealing or destroying property, dealing drugs in school or starting physical fights on campus.
Warning Signs of Gang Involvement
If parents are afraid their child might be involved in gang activity, here are some signs they should look for:
- Problems in school, a lack of interest in school
- Physical assaults on and off campus
- Change in friends
- Change in hairstyle and/or style of dress
- Tattoos
- Nicknames
- Graffiti on personal items
- Change in personality (hostility toward parents, teachers, or those in authority)
- Staying out late at night
