Graffiti on the side of a building is one indication of gang activity, but is often followed by the question, how serious are they?

“Nobody can deny it when they see gang graffiti,” said Jason Graham, chief probation officer in Richmond County. “The majority you see are just kids.”

According to Graham, the trend of true gang activity versus a caricature of gang activity in the county is an 80/20 percent split, with true gang affiliation being the smaller number.

Richmond County may not be the metropolitan area like that of Charlotte, but according to Graham, there is still significant gang activity.

Of the activity noted by law enforcement and the probation office, Bloods and Crips take seat in the area as part of the traditional nations of gangs. Hispanic and Latin gangs are somewhat prevalent as well, taking root in the northern part of the county.

“These (Hispanic) gangs stay lower key, since most are dealing with immigration issues,” Graham said. “They’re methodical.”

The severity of all involvement within a gang may or may not stop at a superficial level, but often is the case.

“They claim to be, but they’re not always recognized by the gang,” Graham said.

According to Graham, some of these gang members have the “knowledge” of the gang. The knowledge is what the know-how of the gang; the signs they throw, the slang they use, the colors they wear, among others.

“These kids have the knowledge of the Crip and Blood gangs,” Graham said. “They know what’s going on and have that as the affiliation with the gang.”

Yet, not all gang members in the community are imitations and wannabes, that 20 percent can easily have violence associated with it, according to Graham.

Earlier this month, a Hamlet man was shot during a home invasion, one of the lead suspects in the case has potential ties with an subsidiary of the Bloods, known as the Brims, according to reports from the Hamlet Police Department.

Whether or not he truly is, won’t be answered until he is apprehended, but facial tattoos lead authorities to believe he is.

Nearly all gangs are identified by signs, graffiti art, slang and especially colors, yet much of what gives a gang identity is territory. It’s the area they grew up in and what they call home.

One issue gangs in Richmond County have deals with territory and cross-tagging. Cross-tagging is when one gang tags a building or a structure, than another gang does the same on the same structure.

There have been times when officials noticed cross-tagging on buildings between gangs, especially in East Rockingham, but nothing has ever evolved from it, according to Graham.

Likewise, in Richmond County it is not a purely racial endeavor between gangs to identify themselves as any particular race. It’s not what gives these gangs individuality.

“It’s not broken down into a minority issue,” Graham said. “In Richmond County, I don’t know that it’s racial.”

Traditional gang affiliation is not left to racial dividing lines in the area. According to Graham, there are just as many Caucasians affiliated with Crips and Bloods as any other race.

In coordination with local law enforcement, Richmond County schools and the department of juvenile justice, the Department of Probation had assisted in the implementation of the Richmond County Gang Task Force Unit.

The task force spreads awareness to the community about gang related incidents and aids in the prevention of gang activity through proactive parental involvement. They meet regularly to exchange ideas about how to quell any activity in the area, according to Graham.