Level of crime Essay

The level of crime, which seems to be constantly on the increase, is one of the most important issues facing society today. Law enforcement agents must stay on top of the increasingly complex techniques that criminals use to carry out their operations. Nowadays, criminals cover their tracks by partaking in other socially acceptable community activities like sports, charitable work, and adventure. They also work in well-run, coordinated gangs, making it challenging to apprehend the members. Furthermore, these gangs are extensively dispersed across numerous states and regions, some of which have connections abroad. In this regard, security enforcement personnel must be diligent in their work to bust such crime syndicates. This paper focuses on one of these criminal gangs, the ‘Hell’s Angels.’ The focus will be on the origin and history of the gang, its activities, its hierarchy, and network. An applicable strategy will also be provided on how it is possible to infiltrate the gang and take it down. By doing so, the paper will provide insight on what measures security enforcers can take to deal with criminal activities associated with the gang.

History of the Organization

Despite being regarded as a criminal gang by law enforcement institutions, Hell’s Angels history and its foundation tell a completely different story. Ideally, it was formed with the intention to make it an association of motorcycle riders. The motorbike club has been in existence for over six decades, dating back to the year 1948 in California. This was the period after the Second World War, and money from military bonuses and salaries was still in circulation in the economy. War veterans could thus afford to buy the expensive motorbikes and form cycling clubs. Otto Friedli is credited as being the founder of the group, having previously been a member of another gang (Hopper and Moore, 1983). He formed his own bike gang after a fall out with his former teammates. The inspiration for the group’s name ‘Hell’s Angels’ came from the military fighter jets that the military used during the war. A film based on the royal flying corps was also produced after the First World War, bearing the same title, and was also an inspiration behind the gang’s name. The gang became popular within California, particularly with the increasing growth of the pop culture. The group rode on Harley-Davidson motorbikes, one of the leading bike brands in the world. Gradually, the group expanded and spread to other states and eventually to other countries.

Organization of the Gang

Like any other social group of fraternity, members of the ‘Hell’s Angels’ consider themselves as bound by the brotherhood. As mentioned earlier, they prefer to distinguish themselves from other groups by operating only with the Harley-Davidson brand of bikes, which is quite prestigious in the biking world (Hopper and Moore, 1983). Interested individuals have to pass through several rigorous stages before they can become fully fledged members. The basic requirement is to have a driving license and a bike with a capacity of over 750cc. One has to first become an associate by expressing interest in joining the gang and attending some of their organized events. During this time, some training occurs on how to become a better rider. After a few months of training, one qualifies for full membership if they impress the team leaders. The symbols of membership include a death crest, two rockers, and a four-piece crest. The rest of the group also has to vote on whether to induct a new member into the gang. Upon attaining membership status, one acquires voting rights, enabling them to be part of the decision making process. Initially, the group majorly comprised of the whites, but in recent decades, membership is non-discriminatory of racial affiliation. Activities organized by the gang involve group road trips, bike racing, and street parties. They also involve themselves in some community activities for charity and social work to maintain rapport with the other members of the community.

Leadership and Hierarchy

Like any other organization, the ‘Hell’s Angels’ gang has a well laid out structure of leadership to provide guidance and proper organization. The leadership also coordinates the activities of the gang and manages its resources. Since its inception, then gang has managed to attract members from all over the world across all the continents (Hopper and Moore, 1983). South Africa represents the African chapter of the gang. Currently, there are more than 231 chapters spread across over 30 countries. Total membership is believed to be in the region of 3000 people. Each chapter has its team of leaders who communicate with other charters on a global scale. Leadership at the chapter level comprises of a president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, sergeant at arms and a road captain. Each position is assigned a specific role to play and responsibility to handle. The first chapter of the gang acts as the mother chapter and sets the agenda for the global gang. Decisions made at the highest level are shared with other chapters in different countries. These include setting the calendar of activities and observing the rules of the gang. Usually, the chapters are headquartered in clubhouses where the leaders meet to make decisions and other deliberations.

Relation with Crime

Having understood the gang’s history and operation, it is imperative to address Hell’s Angels’ longstanding association with crime. In fact, police departments in several countries list the gang as their prime suspects in violent crimes committed within their jurisdictions, particularly in the US and Canada. Over the past few decades, many members of this gang have been arrested and charged with several counts of criminal activities, with some being sent to prison. Some of the crimes linked to the group include violent killings, illegal possession of firearms and other weapons, drug trafficking and assault (Barker and Human, 2009). The group is believed to be in competition with other rival gangs such as the Mongols, and such rivalry is often manifested in street fights and shootings in nightclubs and casinos. The gang is also often linked to politicians who may at times hire them to accomplish different purposes such as eliminating their rivals and competitors.

The ’Hells Angels’ gang is always put on the radar by media outlets and security personnel. They encourage members of the public to report any incidences and provide links to criminals linked to the group so as to have them arrested. However, such groups have instilled fear on common citizens, and people opt to stay mum to avoid victimization. Such gangs also have deep networks and an intelligence-gathering system that enables them to carry out their operations without tipping off security officers. Members of the public have also recognized the symbols associated with the gang such as the bikes, logos, and symbols. Thus they know when to mind their own business. Having said this, it is important to note that the gang is not a work organization; but merely an association of people sharing similar interests. Its members don’t have a day job at the organization where they report on a daily basis. Neither does it have a fund from which it can finance its members. In fact, they have to work like ordinary people to put food on the table at the end of the day. Gang members have regular jobs mostly in the informal sector while some are actual professionals in various fields. This could be part of the reason as to why some members engage in criminal acts to supplement their income (Barker and Human, 2009). In this regard, it is illogical to apply a blanket assumption that the group is a criminal gang. The logical thing is to acknowledge that crime is perpetrated by just a fraction of the group members. It is these individuals that security enforcers should strive to bring to book.

Measures to Infiltrate and Take down the Organization

Organized gangs such as Hell’s Angels are quite difficult to deal with and to take down due to the various methods they employ to keep their activities secret and low-key. Again, they have been in the game long enough to know that the law enforcement authorities are in their hot pursuit. In this regard, members of the crew, especially the senior guys are difficult to trace as they know how to hide their tracks. They also have their in-house means of collecting intelligence (Barker and Human, 2009). If I were charged with the responsibility of infiltrating and taking down the gang in my area of jurisdiction, I would look at all possible ways of gaining access to the highest levels of hierarchy. I would rule out the option of sending an officer to join the gang as an undercover agent. This method has been tried severally and is not much productive since gangs have their means of vetting individuals before granting them membership (Chepesiuk, 2003). Again, such a tactic would consume a great deal of time, further wasting resources.

In my case, I would opt to gather information through some of the gang members that have already in police custody and prison. I would particularly target those individuals convicted to serve long jail terms. Such inmates are usually desperate to avoid spending years in jail. I would use their state of desperation to my advantage. In the case of gangs, most of the individuals in police custody and jail are those in lower positions. Gangs’ leaders usually do not actively participate in executing criminal missions; rather, they send their juniors and use them as collateral in case law enforcement officers are tipped off and show up at a crime scene. Gang leaders are mainly involved in executing such missions and allocating tasks and other resources such as weapons to the juniors.

Usually, the juniors are new members trying to impress their seniors so as to rise in the ranks within a gang. For instance, in a bank robbery incident, the men and women that actually walk into banking halls and take cash are usually juniors working under the instruction of the actual planners. The loot is then shared amongst the gang based on one’s level of hierarchy and participation in the heist. For drug syndicates, the leaders take the role of creating the distribution channels for the product in the streets from the source to the consumer (Chepesiuk, 2003). They also come up with creative ways of evading the eye of police officers. However, the actual process of distribution is carried out by juniors who in this case can be regarded as the ‘errand boys.’ These errand boys are easy to replace in case they are arrested or killed in their ‘line of duty.’

Therefore, in my case, I would approach jailed gang members and attempt to establish good rapport to create an opportunity for them to share information. It would be give-and-take affair as I would lure them with promises of shorter sentences or even release and protection after being granted their freedom. As earlier mentioned, most members of the gang engage in low-paying jobs in the streets and the towns (Chepesiuk, 2003). I would promise them financial assistance and safety if they tipped me on the gang’s operations. I would seek to find out their source of guns and other weapons and channels of distribution. I would also inquire on the channels of drug trafficking and the possible loopholes that my officers and I could exploit to get to our targeted individuals.

Hell’s Angels have been in existence for a long time, and they definitely have established a network that is not as easy to tackle as it may sound. However, I am confident that my strategy would bear significant results. With the appropriate patience and luring inmates with promises of a better life, I am sure that the insider information gathered would help us get closer to the main planners of the crimes that the society has been grappling with for a long time. Patience would go a long way because it takes time to establish rapport and trust with criminals. I would also advise my officers to work as a team and to share confidential information. In the long run, I believe that my strategy would go a long way in helping to take down the organization.

References

Barker, T., & Human, K. M. (2009). Crimes of the big four motorcycle gangs. Journal of Criminal Justice, 37(2), 174-179.

Chepesiuk, R. (2003). The Bullet or the Bribe: Taking Down Colombia’s Cali Drug Cartel. Greenwood Publishing Group.

Hopper, C. B., & Moore, J. (1983). Hell on wheels: The outlaw motorcycle gangs. The Journal of American Culture, 6(2), 58-64.