When it comes to tracking gang activity, the Bronx Gang Squad on it. All 22 of members.

It’s a small number, putting two detectives per precinct, but keeping them busy. And within the 52nd Precinct, roughly a dozen gangs have been identified within the northwest Bronx precinct. And their makeup varies.

“You have Hispanic gangs ranging from the Latin Kings to the Trinitarios, which are Dominican. We used to have DDP’s, they seem to fallen out of favor with the Dominican gangs. You also have some Mexican gangs,” said gang squad detective James Shanahan. Shanahan appeared at the latest 52nd Precinct Council meeting on Sept. 27. “You also have the Crips and the Bloods.”

Locally, Shanahan pointed out small neighborhood gangs they identified in Tracey Towers and Gates Place. He also named the St. James Boys that operate in Fordham’s St. James Park.

“There’s another gang called the Wild Card Crips; and you also have a gang over on 194[th Street] over on Valentine Avenue and Bainbridge Avenue called the 194 Crew,” said Shanahan. “Further up, on Valentine Avenue…you have a gang called the 700, which is a Triniatrios gang.”

Shanahan also said there’s gang activity at 183rd Street and Davidson Avenue, the birthplace of the Bloods.

The squad is divided between the investigative/major case unit and street level enforcement teams that gather intelligence on gang activity. There’s also a gang response team that assist when gang-related shootings occur. These days, gangs have drifted to more white collar crimes such as financial crimes that steal credit card and social security numbers.

Gang activity has been on the public’s mind lately following the gang-related killing of Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz. Members of a Trinitarios subset were charged with murder and other charges related to Junior’s death.

The Police Department places New Yorkers with suspected ties to gang activity on an internal database that has drawn ire from critics such as the Legal Aid Society of New York City. Shanahan disputed media reports that one is simply placed on the list without any vetting.

“To get into the gang database in New York City we have to follow elite criteria set up by the New York City Police Department’s Legal Division. And I think there’s one detective one time said it’s almost easier to get into Harvard than it is to get into the gang database,” said Shanahan.

Shanahan recommended anyone with information on gang activity is asked to call the precinct.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.