Local police say Fort Sill has a gang problem - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

Local police say Fort Sill has a gang problem

LAWTON, Okla. — Lawton police say the Fort Sill Army post is home to many soldiers who also are gang members, but post officials dispute that claim.

Lt. Darrell Southerland, a 20-year police veteran who oversees the Lawton Gang Task Force Unit, said his six-member unit has routinely gathered and shared evidence with Fort Sill officials about soldiers stationed at Fort Sill who also are gang members.

He said evidence has been obtained through traffic stops and arrests and includes photos of gang-related tattoos and information from informants.

“People don’t want to face the truth, but it’s true,” Southerland said. “Fort Sill has a problem with gangs. We see it every Friday and Saturday night on the streets. But nobody wants to listen.”

Fort Sill spokesman Jon Long disagrees.

“No evidence of a widespread gang problem involving Fort Sill soldiers has been presented to Fort Sill by the LPD (Lawton Police Department) or city officials,” Long said.

In a story that appeared recently in the base newspaper, “The Cannoneer,” Jessica Jasper, a special agent with the Criminal Investigation Command, said that in the last calendar year, post authorities “have not worked any gang-related offenses on post. ... We’ve not been called to respond to any of those concerns.”

Long said the photos and Web site images of soldiers flashing gang signs, which have collected by Lawton police, are “not proof that the person pictured is actually a gang member.”

One solider, a reservist who served with the 177th Field Artillery, has been arrested six times by Lawton police since 2006 on charges including drug possession and driving with loaded firearms. Investigators said they have an image of the soldier flashing a sign that is affiliated with a gang known as the 107 Hoover Crips, which is known to have Lawton members.

Southerland said he told Fort Sill officials about the soldier.

“I was told, ‘Look, this guy is a hero. He pulled someone out of a burning Humvee in Iraq, and we’re not touching him.’ What are you gonna do?” Southerland said.

In another instance, two Fort Sill soldiers suspected to be Blood gang members were involved in a deadly altercation outside a Lawton nightclub with a civilian thought to be a member of the 107 Hoover Crips. After an argument, shots were fired, and one of the soldiers died.

“The argument started with one guy disrespecting the other,” Southerland said. “Next thing you know, guns are pulled.”

Hunter Glass of North Carolina, a former soldier who studies gangs in the military, said the problem is widespread.

“I often encounter people who express disbelief,” Glass said. “And my lectures aren’t always popular. People get angry. I’ve had politicians call me, generals call me ... but people have to wake up. The military is a reflection of society. Why wouldn’t there be gang members in the military?

“The world isn’t always Norman Rockwell.”