Kansas City’s gangs by the numbers

KC’s gangs by the numbers

Gang members/affiliates identified by police: 3,362.

Number of gangs: More than 100. As many as 40 “active.”

Youngest member: 12.

Oldest: 49.

Percentage male: 95.

Hispanic gangs are the city’s fastest growing, police say. They tend to be somewhat organized with a set hierarchy. Most African-American gangs are community based — young men who grew up together on a particular block. Though some use “Bloods” and “Crips” in their names, few have any national gang connections.

Who gets counted by police? People who admit gang membership or meet other criteria, such as police observation of tattoos and hand signs or being arrested in the company of confirmed gang members.

How accurate is the overall tally? It’s likely low. Police include only gangsters with whom they’ve crossed paths.

Of note: A gang’s size does not necessarily reflect the scope of its members’ criminal activities.

In late September, police recovered 170 mature marijuana plants, 15 starter plants, two handguns, a bullet-resistant vest and more than $4,400 from a marijuana farm near Oakwood Country Club. The suspect, now in federal custody, belonged to a gang with only three documented members.

One of the city’s largest gangs, with more than 250 members, is based near 33rd Street and Bales Avenue. Federal prosecutors have filed charges against at least 14 of its members, the most against any street gang in western Missouri under a federal anti-gang initiative announced in April 2006.