] New Jersey's brewing gang war is no longer a gang vs.
] gang battle for turf.
]
] It pits "supergangs," such as the Bloods and Crips
] and the Chicago-based Latin Kings, against a growing
] army of Garden State gang investigators, task-force
] members and intelligence gatherers.
]
] The Internet has allowed the tentacles of the supergangs
] to extend deeper into suburban neighborhoods, according
] to Keith Bevacqui, a New Jersey State Police detective
] sergeant and gang investigator.
]
] But there is something else that has fueled their
] emergence.
]
] "There's a lot of denial of gang activity," said Sgt.
] William Paglione, deputy commander of the Middlesex
] County Violent Gang Task Force.
]
] "Nobody wants to admit we have a problem, and the truth
] is every town in America has a problem," said Assistant
] Middlesex County Prosecutor Cindy Glaser. "It's
] everywhere. It's just that epidemic of a problem."
]
] About two dozen gangs, including the Bloods, La Mugre,
] Almighty Latin King/Queen Nation, 18th Street, MS-13, and
] three motorcycle groups affect that county. Some are
] stronger than others, but all are considered active,
] task-force members said.
]
] The Latin Kings, the Wild Chicanos, MS-13, Bloods and
] Netas are among the gangs operating in neighboring Union
] County, according to Manahan. They're committing a
] spectrum of crimes everything from drug peddling to
] murder.
]
] Local police, however, do not routinely mention whether a
] crime was gang-related. And the State Police are pushing
] for increased reporting.