Battling Cleveland's gangs

May 20--The gang population in Cleveland County was hit hard this week, but there is still more work to be done, according to local police.

By law enforcement's count, there are more than 100 validated members of the United Blood Nation gang in the county. Twenty-six of those members were arrested during a federal round-up Thursday.

"We dealt a major blow to the organization. We were able to apprehend many of the lieutenants and up," Cleveland County Sheriff Alan Norman said.

Why Cleveland County?

Out of the 83 arrested on the East Coast this week, a third were from Cleveland County, making it the second highest behind Mecklenburg.

Shelby Police Chief Jeff Ledford said gangs aren't contained to big cities.

"That is the misconception. Gang culture has permeated across the county, and it is impacting cities big and small," Ledford said.

Norman agreed.

"This isn't just a city problem or a county problem, it is a community problem," Norman said.

Indictment cite gang meetings, fraud, sale of controlled substances and even murder. Over the course of the investigation, agents and officers seized 36 firearms and ammunition, cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, marijuana, MDMA, prescription pills and other narcotics and drug paraphernalia, counterfeit checks, credit cards, gift cards and credit card making devices.

Both lawmen agreed the years of documented activity by local and federal law enforcement, district attorney's office and probation officers was key in the success of the operation.

Preventing gang activity

"The main question we have is how do we keep young people from moving into these empty positions," Ledford said.

There is not an exact science on stopping people from joining a gang but prevention is key, Norman and Ledford said. Both Shelby Police and the Sheriff's Office are putting plans together to up their work with youth in the community.

School resource officers have been receiving more training and are on the lookout for signs of youth being coerced into gangs.

"We are having them looking at middle school, high school and even elementary school students and asking them to mentor some of these kids that might be at risk," Norman said.

"We want to show what gang life is really about, not the glamour of it but the reality," Ledford said.

Education doesn't stop with children, parents and caregivers also need to be informed, he said.

"We want to continue to educate parents of the signs to look for if their child is in a gang," Ledford said.

A priority is to prevent future gang members, but there is also a focus on those already rapped up in that lifestyle. There are agencies to help people transition from gang life.

The investigation continues

The sheriff had a warning for those who continue to engage in gang activity in Cleveland County.

"We know who you are. You are being monitored, and we have the full support of the U.S. Attorney's Office. You will be charged federally if you are caught committing a crime, and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Norman said.

Jill Westmoreland Rose, United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, and John Strong, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina, echo Norman's "promise."

"The investigation and prosecution of violent gangs is a priority for this office. Our goal is to curb the influence of violent street gangs, to protect the people of this district from gangsters' criminal activity and to restore our neighborhoods as places where all citizens can live and prosper," Rose said.

The roundup may have been a blow to the Bloods in Cleveland County, but there is still work to be done, Ledford said.

"I assure you this is ongoing, and it is not the end," he said.

Joyce Orlando can be contacted at 704-669-3341 or by email at jorlando@shelbystar.com.

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