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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2002

Gangs are growing throughout rural America and even on reservations, according to federal and state experts.

"Native American gangs are the toughest in the whole world, I venture to say, particularly because they don't wear colors; they keep their affiliations private," Debbie Adams, a substance abuse counselor in New Mexico, is quoted by the Associated Press as saying. "They're dangerous; they hurt people who step on their toes. And they're hard to sniff out or get to understand that there is a better way."

According to a survey by the Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, active gang membership has increased by 8 percent across the country, with rural and suburban areas seeing the most growth.

Get the Story:
Gangs Grow Rampant in Rural N.M. (AP 2/12)

Relevant Links:
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention - http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org