Gangs Reportedly Growing in Mountain State - WVNS-TV - WVNSTV.com

Gangs Reportedly Growing in Mountain State - WVNS-TV - WVNSTV.com: "Gangs have set up shop in Charleston and also in the surrounding areas. Undercover police officers say that gangs don’t need to live in the city to operate. In some instances they’ll commute from outlying communities.
One undercover officer with the Charleston Police Department told us they’ve dealt with a slew of street gangs including Bloods, Crips and the Folk Nation out of Chicago. Lately they’ve seen a lot of action from what they call hybrid gangs.
“A lot of times the New York guys, or the Detroit, Columbus guys, they will come in and maybe one or two guys will try to set up a gang here,” said one of the undercover police officers we interviewed.
Hybrid gangs are often created by out-of-towners. Sometimes they also learn the trade through pop culture like music videos, or the internet. Often times hybrid gangs are focused on money, and have less hardcore affiliations with a larger group. In other words, Bloods and Crips will sometimes work together when it’s profitable.
The movement of gangs in West Virginia has kept Charleston Police Detective Eric Smith busy for years. He’s tracked gangs since he worked a street route along the Third Avenue and Bream Street area in Charleston during the 90s. He learned first-hand that gangs don’t need residency to wreak havoc on an area."

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