Law enforcement is one of the most demanding professions in our society. Officers face daily stressors that would challenge even the most resilient individuals—from life-threatening situations to emotional trauma, bureaucratic pressures to public scrutiny. Yet within police departments across the country, you’ll often hear something unexpected: laughter. This isn’t callousness or indifference; humor in law […]

Street gangs have been a persistent problem in communities across the United States, and Ventura County is no exception. As I detail in my book Less Tagging More Killing, the transformation of gangs from neighborhood groups of taggers into sophisticated, violent organizations has left deep scars on families and cities. One of the most troubling […]

The world of gangs is overwhelmingly male, but ignoring the role of women in gangs misses critical dimensions of how these groups function. From Oxnard to Santa Paula and across the country, women navigate a contradictory space: essential for logistics and family continuity yet marginalized, exploited, and frequently dismissed as “drama.” Drawing from first-hand accounts […]

Northside vs Southside gangs in Oxnard, California, with a population just over 200,000, is home to seven Mexican/American gangs that have carved out their identities, territories, and rivalries across its neighborhoods. These seven gangs, from largest to smallest, are: Colonia Chiques, Southside Chiques, Lemonwood Chiques, Surtown Chiques, Northside Chiques, Loma Flats Chiques, and Squires Drive […]

This blog explores the reality of gangs and hood guns, drawing from case examples, police records, social media exchanges, and federal prosecution strategies. It also examines how local and federal law enforcement agencies struggle to combat the problem. When talking about gangs, few images are more telling than gang members sharing a single weapon among […]

The city of Santa Paula, California, has long struggled with an entrenched gang presence. Among the five major gangs that shaped the city’s criminal landscape—the Crimies, 12th Street Locos, Crazy Boyz, Bad Boyz, and Party Boyz—the 12th Street Locos stand out as one of the most notorious. Second in size only to the Crimies, the […]

Gang culture has never been static. From my 22 years as an FBI Special Agent investigating street crews in Los Angeles, Ventura County, and beyond, I saw firsthand how graffiti crews transformed into highly structured criminal organizations. What started as a spray-painted name on a wall morphed into violent enterprises dealing in narcotics, weapons, and […]

The story of Ventura County is often told through its beaches, agriculture, and suburban neighborhoods, but beneath the surface is a darker reality. Criminal street gangs have long plagued the area, especially the city of Oxnard and surrounding communities. Gang members often referred to Ventura County as the “dirty nickel” – a reference to the […]

When people talk about gang problems in Ventura County, one name inevitably comes up: the Surtown Chiques. This gang has been a persistent source of violence, drug trafficking, and law enforcement challenges in the city of Oxnard. Based on firsthand investigations and detailed analysis, the scope of the Surtown Chiques: Gang Activity demonstrates how entrenched […]

The connection between gangs and ghost guns was a growing problem. Across the U.S., criminal street gangs exploited regulatory gaps—taking advantage of untraceable, homemade weapons known as ghost guns. Beginning in the early 2000’s the Do it Yourself (DIY) business model for firearms enthusiasts gradually grew and become widely available. Around 2013–2014, companies began selling […]