CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As a part of a study conducted by the Texas Department of Public Safety South Texas has been identified as an area with a high amount of gang activity. Sheriff Oscar Rivera with San Patricio County said they have many of those gang members in their county jail.
Recently, he had a conversation with his staff to improve efforts to combat gangs.
"Let's not start in the street, let's start in our own jail because that's where the majority of them are right now, we know where those are, start here then we'll go from there," he said.
Some of the staff with the San Patricio County Sheriff's Office went to a gang violence education seminar and the office became a part of the Texas Anti-Gang Center. He also hired a gang investigator onto their criminal investigations team.
"You've gotta be proactive, it's too late once somebody starts getting killed and you start having a problem, a lot of people don't bother with them because 'they don't bother me its ok,' but it's not ok," Rivera said.
Sheriff Rivera said they installed reflective mirrors inside of the jail so inmates can't flash gang signs or tattoos to each other. The gang investigator was also trained to examine their tattoos.
"We photograph these tattoos and see what's inside the bigger picture," Sheriff Rivera said.
By investigating gang tattoos, Rivera hopes they'll get a better grasp on how they can stop gang violence outside of the jail. He also wants the community to be aware of activity in their area. He urges anyone who may see or hear about gang activity to report it to them.
"This is your county and this is your home and nobody should come and take over your property, equality of life is important in this county and it starts with us," Sheriff Rivera said.
You can always contact the San Patricio Sheriff's Office at (361) 364-9600.