While biker gangs and white supremacist groups long have been a concern for law enforcement, investigators said they recently have become interested in the various local incarnations of the Bloods and the Disciples, which played a role in a spate of 2014 murders.Īs travelers follow U.S. 231 near Transmitter Road is a billboard, slightly discolored from enduring the elements, bearing a picture of Bay County Sheriff Frank McKeithen and offering a foreboding message about gang activity. But BCSO’s work begins on the fringes of town. In Bay County, the activity revolves around two groups - the Bloods and the Gangster Disciples - bisected by Martin Luther King Jr. RAGE also monitors gang members and works with local law enforcement to determine if a crime has ties to gang activity. If we continue to bat an eye at them, we’re going to have real issues.”Ĭheeks is part of the BCSO’s Regional Area Gang Enforcement (RAGE) Unit, which is working with community groups to address the county’s gang presence. “We’re not Chicago, Memphis, New Orleans or Indianapolis, but we have a gang problem here. “I don’t want to overstate it, and I don’t want to understate it,” Bay County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Ronnie Cheeks said. Gang activity in Bay County is a far cry from its heavy presence in larger metropolitan areas, but it is here, and it seems to be on the rise. The gang member agreed to speak with The News Herald under condition of anonymity although he is in a state of semi-retirement, he said he still fears for his safety.
Once you do it, they got something to hold over your head for the rest of your life.”ĭoe, now in his late 30s, moved from the “affiliated” gangland of Indianapolis to Bay County years ago to escape the lifestyle. “They give you the gun, point at a stranger on the street and tell you to walk up to them and pull the trigger in their face.
“It’s Russian roulette-style,” Doe recalled. He grazed his palm across the cylinder, setting it spinning with a whirl of metallic clicks until he slapped it in place and handed the gun to the then-12-year-old recruit. PANAMA CITY - It wasn’t just a beating he had to endure his first day.Īs a test of John Doe’s intended commitment and loyalty, a seasoned member of the Gangster Disciples produced a revolver and slid a single round into one of the chambers. Gang activity in Bay County is a far cry from its heavy presence in larger metropolitan areas, but it's rising - and law enforcement agencies aim to stop it.
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