Customer Reviews

Gangs Across America And Their Symbols (Pocketguides)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a guy who has been working in the law enforcement field for over 25 years I have to say this book has been valuable to me in providing a quick and easy resource in my dealing with gangs.
I work in a large urban setting that has a diverse population as well as large education and tourist traffic which brings in all walks of life from throughtout the United States. This informational reference guide has hepled me on several occiasions in interpreting gang activity.
I strongly advise any one in the field, even parents and school employees to get this book. And with the price, you can't afford not to have it!

I'm not in law enforcement, but with the expansion of violent gangs outside the major US cities, I feel it is helpful to recognize gang symbols and their meaning. This pocket guide is a handy educational tool to have in my library.

My only complaint is that some of the pictures provided were not clear enough to effectively illustrate the symbols being portrayed. I also believe that this is the type of book that needs continual updated editions to cover the growing/evolving nature of the subject matter.

On the positive side, this small booklet gives a decent overview of gangs and the symbols they use; clothing, graffiti, tattoos and terminology.

On the negative side, the images used in the book are poorly done and many are out of focus or too small to read.

The information presented is valuable and makes for interesting reading. If the editors had paid a little more attention to quality graphics and images it would be a significantly better resource.

Overall an OK booklet that has the added benefit of being small enough to toss in the glove box and have handy if you see some graffiti and want to understand the source.

Gangs across america and their symbols is a great reference book originally made for police officers, but also useful to homeowner associations and the general population. It's important to be aware of our surroundings and the markings on the walls denoting violence or criminal activity. This book provides descriptions, details and some symbols used routinely by some of the larger gangs in the United States.

Not much to it. Lot of gang signs, which means nothing to me because I don't see people throwing gang signs.
For me, it was boring.

The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is because I do not work in the field (yet) and I do not know the accuracy or comprehensiveness of this book. The things that I have looked up in it have been helpful and I think it will be a decent little pocket guide once I graduate and enter the prison correctional scene.

The book description gave the impression that this would be a substantial resource for identifying gang symbols & signs, but sadly it is lacking in real substance.