Gangs and the Military
Gangsters, Bikers, and Terrorists with Military Training
By (author) Carter F. Smith
Publication date:
15 September 2017Length of book:
282 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersDimensions:
235x160mm6x9"
ISBN-13: 9781442275164
Over the past several decades, there has been a continuous and growing focus on street gangs, outlaw motorcycle gangs, and domestic extremist groups. Many of these groups have members with military training, and some actively recruit from current and former military veterans and retirees. That military experience adds to the dangerousness of veteran gang members, as well as those groups they associate with.
Communities everywhere are experiencing the damaging impact of gang criminal behavior. By observing gang activity from the Revolutionary War to today Smith examines the presence of military-trained, often veteran, gang members in the communities. He looks at the turning points in gang investigations in the military, and also looks at the laws and policies designed to specifically counter the criminal activity the threats of gang activity pose on a community.
Grounded in current knowledge and research, Gangs and the Military successfully addresses the growing presence of criminal gang members in the United States. As well as reflects on how the authorities that counter and combat them are doing so on a national and global level.
Communities everywhere are experiencing the damaging impact of gang criminal behavior. By observing gang activity from the Revolutionary War to today Smith examines the presence of military-trained, often veteran, gang members in the communities. He looks at the turning points in gang investigations in the military, and also looks at the laws and policies designed to specifically counter the criminal activity the threats of gang activity pose on a community.
Grounded in current knowledge and research, Gangs and the Military successfully addresses the growing presence of criminal gang members in the United States. As well as reflects on how the authorities that counter and combat them are doing so on a national and global level.
Smith, a special agent for the Army Criminal Investigations Division, examines the roles played by member of street gangs, outlaw motorcycle gangs, and domestic extremists with military training and both on and off active duty and the crimes they committed in this detailed study. The biggest obstacle investigators face, Smith observes, is denial of this reality by military and police officials despite numerous sightings of gang tattoos and graffiti on military bases. Although gang members convicted of crimes should not technically be recruited by the military, they can often enter by hiding their histories or by securing special waivers. The real dangers, says Smith, are the soldiers’ divided loyalties and the training they’ve experienced in discipline, violence, and weaponry, skills that are equally useful in criminal gang actions when they return to their home territories. There are lot of statistics and crime listings to wade through, but Smith presents a convincing case for identifying these gang members and developing communication between military and civilian police to manage their return to civilian life.