No gang presence

Police constantly watching for evidence of activity

Jeff Alderton

CUMBERLAND — Cumberland Police are constantly watching for signs of gang activity or hate groups but so far there is limited evidence of any such activity in the Queen City.

City police Sgt. David Biser, who is assigned to the C3I Unit, has been making formal presentations throughout the community in recent months — upon request — to increase awareness concerning the dangers and warning signs of potential gang activity.

“I always stress to our citizens that if there are any gang members around, they are not interested in you. They are interested in drugs, crime and other gangs. Most of the time our citizens do not have to be afraid. Gang members do not target the average citizen,” said Biser.

While some signs of gang elements may surface on occasion, Cumberland Police Acting Chief Kevin Ogle stresses there is no formal presence of gangs in Cumberland.

But that doesn’t mean the ingredients for future gang activity are not already here.

City police have received 42 complaints so far this year that investigators relate to potential gang activity, or informal or “home-grown” gang elements.

Fourteen of the complaints involved assaults, 14 concerned destruction of property and seven involved graffiti. In contrast, there were no such gang-related complaints logged by the department in 2000, according to Ogle.

Police believe that 47 people who reside in Allegany County have some connection with 17 different formal or informal gangs or groups. However, some of those individuals are said to be inmates at local prisons.

Local citizens who have heard the presentations that Biser makes to civic groups and other organizations have expressed alarm and surprise that the criminal element in Allegany County contains some factors relating to gang activity.

“We don’t want people to be alarmed but they also must realize there might be people here that have some connection to gangs,” said Ogle.

“While there are individuals here that have ties to gangs, there are no actual gangs with formal leadership here.

“The average citizen will probably never have contact with any gang members,” said Ogle. “However, citizens from time to time may observe some activity or graffiti that may be indicative of a gang connection.”

Ogle and Biser urge citizens to contact their department with any concerns of suspicious activity or possible gang connections.

“A lot of times people don’t know what to look for. Part of my public speaking is to let people know what to look for in order to better protect our youth who are at the greatest risk,” said Biser.

Parents and custodial parents keeping tabs on their children and adolescents is the first line of defense to curbing any possible association with formal or informal gangs.

“But by the time we get involved, it is usually too late,” said Biser.

Sharing information with allied agencies, including the Department of Correction, is one strategy being employed by Cumberland Police.

“We are monitoring the situation. We have a database, working with allied agencies, and also reaching out to neighborhoods to make citizens aware and to keep the neighborhoods safe,” said Ogle.

Jeff Alderton can be reached at jlalderton@times-news.com.