LIST OF THINGS COPS KNO
ASIAN GANG INFORMATION
I. Gang Association
A. Asian gang members will go to much greater lengths to conceal
their gang affiliation.
B. Will deny strongly they are gang members.
II. Tattoos and markings
A. Asian gangs have a trend toward scarring or mutilation to create
gang markings.
B. Cigarette burns are a common method of scarring
1. Burns on hands - commonly Filipino
2. Burns on forearm - Vietnamese or Cambodian
3. Burns on upper arm - Chinese
4. Females - burns may be on ankles or feet
5. All may have different combinations
C. Number and pattern of burns mean different things to individual or
separate gangs
1. Generally acknowledged that a single burn means a willingness to
engage in criminal activity
D. Will attempt to explain tattoos or initials as not being gang-related
1. Example - "NCA" tattoo refers to Ninja Clan Assassins, a Vietnamese
gang. Members will tell police it stands for "New Chinese Associa-
tion."
E. Look carefully for scars or tattoos
1. Look between fingers
F. Will use washable ink to mark themselves
G. May tell you tattoos were put on in refugee camp
1. This is untrue. Children are not tattooed in refugee camps. Many
of these people were small children when in the camps.
III. Age, Looks and Dress
A. Generally 12 to 18 years old
B. Trend toward adopting colors and terms associated with Crips and
Bloods
C. Dress well - usually well-groomed and clean
D. Hairstyles vary, however often have "new wave" haircuts
1. When engaged in criminal activity may color their hair
2. Will often wash the color out immediately after crime is committed
3. May cut their hair to avoid detection
IV. Weapons
A. Will generally be armed with and use the best weapons available
B. Prefer high-capacity handguns and semi-automatic/automatic weapons
1. 9mm semi-automatic handguns are favorites
2. Extended magazine shotguns
3. Assault rifles
C. Will use cheap "Saturday night special" weapons if nothing else
available.
D. Will often hide weapons away from their homes
1. Relatives
E. Rarely will store large numbers of weapons where they are staying
V. Crash Pads
A. Generally apartments or hotel rooms
1. May have large number of people in one room
2. Change locations often
3. Will use whatever shelter is available, if necessary
IV. Criminal Activity
A. Asian gangs are involved in all types of criminal activity,
however are frequently found to be engaged in the following
activities
1. Extortion
2. Residential Robberies
3. Residential Burglaries
4. Auto theft/stolen parts
VII. Graffiti
A. Are into graffiti, however do not show it as openly as Black or
Hispanic gangs
1. Graffiti important as a gang identifier
B. Where to look
1. School or year books
2. On shoes, inside clothing labels and hat bands
3. Look in wallets between photos/on photos
VIII. Relations with Police
A. Are not afraid to confront police
B. May often be very polite and cooperative to ease suspicion
C. If they do not have identification ask them to write out their
name for you. Minutes later they may not be able to recall what
they just said
1. Often an indicator of criminal activity
D. Remember, police in their native lands are often violent. They
may therefore expect violence from you and act accordingly
IX. Vehicles
A. Prefer imported vehicles
1. Honda, Mazda, Toyota, etc.
2. Small pickup trucks
B. Will "trick" them out
1. Fender flairs, tinted windows, pin stripes, etc.
X. Females
A. Are involved in activities with males
B. May try to distract officer's attention from males
C. Officer Safety - Can be dangerous
D. Are often runaways
E. Have large communications network to various groups of males
XI. General
A. Be careful. They are frequently armed and are good with weapons
B. Be creative during searches; they are creative at hiding things
C. Do not underestimate them because of size or demeanor
Email: vietnomercy@gotmail.com
