OUR VIEW: If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck ...

» Gang-related crimes aren’t a huge problem in Culpeper, but being proactive at early hints of a problem is the best approach.

Whenever people fighting in the streets are arrested, and whenever police claim those people profess to be Bloods and Crips, it’s bound to get some attention. Particularly when the brawling “gang members” are picked up on the relatively calm North East Street, blocks away from downtown shops and tourist destinations.

We’ve seen the graffiti bearing gang symbols, and we’ve heard of plenty of thugs calling themselves members of national gangs. But it’s hard to pin down whether Culpeper has a truly
significant gang presence or whether a bunch of wannabes are up to no good.

Law enforcement officials, however, are rightfully taking the issue seriously. In their mind, if people are claiming to be a part of a gang, they should be treated that way.

But it can be hard to determine just what a gang is. When teens were fighting outside a local convenience store, assault-by-mob charges were filed. Should mobs and gangs be considered one and the same, or is there a difference? For the public good, does it even matter?

So, is there a gang problem in Culpeper? Perhaps to a small extent, but certainly nothing akin to the problems faced by bigger cities. Yet without proactive measures by law enforcement, that could quickly change.

“My philosophy is, when we have a group of people banding together to commit crimes, they are a gang and we treat them as such,” Culpeper Police Chief Scott Barlow told the Star-Exponent.

And that’s a good approach for local police to take.