There are several issues confronting law enforcement in Elkhart County and its effort to investigate and prosecute illegal gang activity. The biggest problems currently seem to be; 1) a lack of training at the individual departments, 2) a lack of a method to exchange information between departments, and 3) a lack of awareness of the scope of the problem.
Several street gangs have been identified as having a presence in Elkhart County. This identification has been established through information from Confidential Sources, Intelligence tips, arrests of gang members and other law enforcement activities. The gangs identified are divided into two main groupings: Hispanic and African American. The Hispanic street gangs with a presence in this County are: The Maniac Latin Disciples, Latin Kings, Vatos Locos, Surenos 13, Two 6’s, and the 18's. The African American street gangs are: Gangster Disciples and the Vice Lords.
There has been some unverified information received about the presence of Asian gangs as well.
The goals of the Interdiction and Covert Enforcement Unit are to; 1) work with the Information Technologies currently
in use at the Elkhart County Sheriff's Department and the Elkhart Police
Department to identify the scope of the presence of illegal gangs in the
County. 2) Establish better working relationships and information exchange
between all departments. 3) Develop informants 4) Work with the Jail personnel
to identify gang members. 5) Target specific gang members 6) Present information
at shift training and briefings about gang activity. 7) Develop strategies
to disrupt and prosecute persons for gang related crimes.
Gang graffiti in Elkhart County.
