Markings left on signs, bridge in Monmouth Junction.
By: Sharlee DiMenichi
Gang members might have been the ones who painted threatening graffiti on signs and a bridge in the township over the weekend, police said.
The markings resemble potential threats to kill police officers recently painted on the Regal Theater on Route 1 in North Brunswick and those used by members of the street gangs Crips and Bloods, according to an investigation report.
Between sometime Friday and 10:18 a.m. Saturday, someone painted "F the Cops," "Big L" and "187" on both sides of the East Arterial Way bridge.
Sometime Sunday, someone painted "187" and "187 Kill" on signs in the Southridge Woods housing development on Route 522, police said. In addition, a sign on Northumberland Way across from the complex was marked with the words, "Cold Vain."
The markings on the theater included the phrase "F Cops 187," reports stated.
The term "187" refers to the homicide code of the police department of Los Angeles, where the Crips and Bloods originated, and gang experts say the number is used to convey a threat to kill, said Wes Daily, president of the East Coast Gang Investigators Association.
Gang members use graffiti to threaten to kill rivals by coupling their names with the code 187, according to Mr. Daily.
Detective James Ryan of the South Brunswick Police Department said police have not drawn conclusions on the meaning of the markings and that they are working with nearby departments to investigate the incidents.
"We have no knowledge at the current time of any specific activity by any specific gangs," Detective Ryan said.
Detective Ryan said such graffiti is not new to the township. He said that, from time to time, there have been "markings on walls or buildings indicating a dislike for police officers and perhaps even threats to police officers."
South Brunswick police officers receive special training in investigating gang crimes, reports state.
Mercer Sullivan, associate professor at the Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice in Newark, said it is difficult to gauge the danger signified by graffiti threats. Gang-related graffiti is sometimes sprayed by nonmembers seeking to imitate those who belong to gangs, Mr. Sullivan said.
"That’s all stuff that people can learn from real stuff that’s going on in their community but they can also learn it from Hollywood movies," Mr. Sullivan said.
Mr. Daily also said threatening graffiti may or may not predict violence because even if it is painted by gang members, they may not follow through on violent threats.
Mr. Daily said the graffiti reflects a trend of gangs increasingly expressing hostility toward police.
"Today the threats on law enforcement are at higher levels than ever before," Mr. Daily said.
He said stepped-up investigations into gang activities have increased members’ anger toward police to the point that gang members admire each other for harming officers and stealing their badges.
"Sometimes it’s a badge of honor to get a cop’s badge," Mr. Daily said.
For more information on gangs, visit the Web site of the National Alliance of Gang Investigators at nagia.org. Mr. Sullivan suggested the books "Gangs and Society," by Louis Kontos, published by Columbia University Press and "Vampires Dragons and Egyptian Kings," by Eric Schneider, published by Princeton University Press as introductory reading on gangs.

