CJ315

M7D1 -1

SPENCER COLBURN
Street gangs serve as the distributors of illegal goods and enforcers for the cartels. In Mexico the cities that border the United States have a high rate of drug use. The Mexican street gangs hold the turf and distribute drugs, arms, human trafficking, and intellectual property, launder money and have ties to terrorist organizations. The vast amounts of money allow the cartels to bribe officials and lure military deserters into their ranks. “Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman leader of the Sinaloa Cartel was named by Forbes Magazine on the World’s Billionaires list, March 11, 2009, as one of the world’s richest men”(Valdez, 2009, p. 406). The power achieved by the cartels allows for the street gangs to thrive. Violence is increased as the cartels and gangs use fear to gain more power. Los Zetas is a gang that has thrived. They “are known for their common use of military tactics, automatic weapons including grenades and explosives” (Valdez, 2009, p.414). The gang is willing to out gun the Mexican police and federal agents to protect their interests.

M7D1-2
TORLAND EDWARDS
According to the National Drug Intelligence Center(NDIC), the connections between Mexican and Asian DTOs, the principal suppliers of illicit drugs in the United States, and gangs, the primary retail-level distributors of drugs in many suburban areas, according to reports from law enforcement officials, are an increasing concern to federal, state, and local law enforcement officials. Mexican drug traffickers affiliated with the Federation, the Gulf Cartel, the Juárez Cartel, and the Tijuana Cartel are cultivating relationships with street gangs, prison gangs, and OMGs that operate in suburban areas. Traffickers affiliated with the Federation maintain close working relationships with members of domestic-based gangs located in the Southwest Region. For instance, federal law enforcement reporting indicates that the Guzmán-Loera DTO, a designated Consolidated Priority Organization Target (CPOT), is recruiting Mexico-based members of the Barrio Azteca (BA) prison gang. Law enforcement officials are not certain of the role these gang members may take in the Guzmán-Loera DTO, but they believe that the BA members may be employed to smuggle cocaine and heroin from Juárez, Mexico, to El Paso, Texas, for eventual distribution in local drug markets and transportation to drug markets throughout the country. Federal law enforcement reporting further reveals that DTOs affiliated with the Federation also associate with the following prison gangs: Hermanos de Pistoleros Latinos, California Mexican Mafia, and Texas Syndicate. Typically, these gangs obtain cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamine from cartel members for distribution in most areas of the Southwest Region; they also transport significant quantities of these drugs to markets in other regions of the United States (NDIC, 2008).
Traffickers affiliated with the Gulf Cartel are increasingly forging relationships with U.S.-based gangs as a means to maintain or increase their drug distribution operations. Gulf Cartel members are supplying drugs to Sureños 13 street gang members in several cities and suburban towns in the Midwest and Southwest Regions. Traffickers affiliated with the Juárez Cartel supply illicit drugs, including cocaine and marijuana, to various street gangs for distribution in urban, suburban, and rural communities throughout the Southwest, Midwest, Great Lakes, and Mid-Atlantic Regions. Gangs supplied by members of the Juárez Cartel include Oldies 13, Gallant Knights, Latin Kings, Neighborhood 90s Crips, and Shotgun Crips. Moreover, members of the Tijuana Cartel work with high-ranking associates of the California-based Mexican Mafia prison gang in controlling the drug trafficking activities of Hispanic street gang members (Sureños 13) in the Pacific and Southwest Regions (NDIC, 2008).
Simply put, one of the major factors is illegal drugs that connects street gangs to cartels. This connection won’t stop as long as the astounding profit that is made continues.

M7D2-1
JESSIE HATFIELD
MS-13 is more of a threat transnationally
The only effect that I see could possibly happen by placing MS-13 on the TCO list would be that they are tracked more closely for ties to possibly bring them and the other organizations they have ties with down. I really don’t see the impact this will have as MS-13 does not have a very structured hierarchal structure, therefore taking down one clique of the gang will not necessarily bring down the rest of the gang. They may have to switch connections as part of the organizational deal but I do not see it stopping them.
Dealing with other countries to fight this organization would be hard because of the fact that they have politicians bought in many of the Central American countries that the U.S. must deal with in trying to control the gang.
I believe this is what makes MS-13 different from say the OMGs that are transnational in the fact that they deal with other organizations such as the cartels dealing in drugs and weapons smuggling, human trafficking, and the murders for hire. Additionally and probably what I would consider the most notable difference is their ability to control parts of the government that help prevent them from being captured. An example of this would be the bribing of the Mexican Attorney General whom was receiving $450K in exchange for information.
While OMGs are transnational in the sense of where they are located, I do not believe they follow in the drug trade, violence, and human trafficking as much as MS-13 does and therefore does not necessarily constitute the same kind of threat.
M7D2-2
DAVID CARMODY
Using the TCO Designation as a Tool to Fight Gangsters

1. MS-13 is the most notorious, dangerous, and largest gang in America. Law enforcement estimates range from 70,000 to 100,000 members. If we are going to designate a US gang as a TCO (as we did MS-13 in 2012) we might as well start with the biggest and worst first. MS-13 is involved in drug trafficking, arm smuggling (both into and out of the US), human trafficking, murder, extortion, robberies and many others. They are also considered the most violent U.S. gang. By designating the MS-13 as a TCO, it enables US LE to target their finances, financial networks, and financial accomplices while giving us one more tool to combat their criminal activities. As the MS-13 has matured, the organization is now in all 50 states, and generates hundred of millions of dollars through criminal activities. The aim is to freeze it out of the U.S. financial system and seize what are estimated to be hundreds of millions of dollars in criminal profits. (National Gang Report, FBI, 2015) (CS Monitor, 2012) (Valdez, 2009)
2. The international activities of OMGs are well documented. They have also been international for decades. The only reasons I can think of as to why they aren’t designated a TCO is resources and priorities. The National Gang Intelligence Center (NGIC, 2015) assesses there are approximately 1.4 million active street, prison, and OMG gang members comprising more than 33,000 gangs in the United States. The US gang composition is approximately 88 percent street gang members, 9.5 percent prison gang members, and 2.5 percent OMG members. Just based on the numbers, OMGs are not a high priority given our other challenges.
3. The days of permanent allies between countries or long lost. We are allies of need, or allies of an issue. Treaties or formal agreements allowing or enabling cross border criminal investigations are increasingly difficult to negotiate. Using Mexico as an example, the cartels there yield considerable power. The repercussions of increased investigation and attempted apprehensions are dangerous. The cartels literally control large areas of Mexico. Their money has tainted the entire political system. When they threaten LE, they mean it. On 7 September 2016, Jalisco cartel members using a rocket launcher, shot the second police helicopter in 18 months out of the sky. Cooperation with U.S LE puts their LE, citizens, or politicians at risk.

CJ498

M7D1-1
JOHNATHAN COOPER
I have to agree with Avdija and Giever, although gender and race may be the best indicators for influence on crime victimization, I think one’s socio-economic status should be the demographic characteristic that has the greatest influence on crime victimization.. According Avdija and Giever (2012), as stated by Salim, Voeten, & Keskiney (2000), race may appear dominant because of how certain races like Blacks and Hispanics may have been treated in the past. Due to the history of police victimization with blacks and Hispanics, one can assume that the greatest is race.
I do not think race can compare to socio-economic status because it is an impact in multiple races, religions, and ethnicities. “Socio-economic status affects attitudes toward the police too which in turn, increases the total effect that socio-economic status has on crime-reporting” (Avdija and Giever, 2012). The result is encourages victims to take care of what they can on their own resulting in an increase of victimization. Although crime might be higher in a neighborhood that is lower in socio-economic status, I believe the amount of force used by law enforcement influences victimization. If there is any discrimination or hostile treatment in the community when the police is called, those high crime areas will not notify law enforcement; thus encouraging victimization. According to Avdija et al (2012), as quoted by Skogan (1976a), “families of high-income reported about 14% more property crimes to the police compared to low-income families.”

M7D1-2
RUSTY STEWART

Crime rate in the US has always been studied and tied to certain demographic factors. Various researchers are always trying to prove links between crime and poverty, race, gender, sexual orientation etc. The strongest link seems to be between crime and poverty. What is interesting is that while people living in poverty commit more crimes, the victims of these crimes are usually also living in poverty. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics website, the rate of violent victimization did not vary much between race. Poor white people had a slightly higher rate of victimization than poor black people. The rate of violent victimizations of people below the Federal Poverty Line (FPL) was more than double the rate of persons living in high-income households, regardless of race. Poor people in urban areas had an only slightly higher rate of victimization than poor people in rural areas.
One obvious question that is usually asked is why on earth would criminals target low income people? The Everyday Sociology blog writer cites the statistics from the NCVS, and explains that low income people tend to live in high crime neighborhoods, and, “criminals typically victimize those around them the most. It’s more convenient (Sternheimer 2009).”
While there is an obvious link between crime and poverty, there is a near infinite number of arguments to be made about how to combat this problem. Education, job training, and countless other ideas have been considered. I believe that until the culture is changed, the entitlement mindset is gone, and people take responsibility for their own lives, this problem will not go away.