Cape PD continues to monitor city for gang activity following federal racketeering indictments

Four Southeast Missouri men facing federal racketeering charges allegedly belonged to one of Chicago’s largest and most-established street gangs.

Sean Clemon, Dominique Maxwell and Perry Harris, all of Cape Girardeau, and Barry Boyce of Charleston were all arrested and charged with RICO conspiracy, according to a news release distributed Monday from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois. Three other men, two from Illinois and one from Kentucky, were also arrested in connection with the crimes.

History

According to U.S. Department of Justice documents and a joint intelligence report from the FBI and the Chicago Police Department released in May 2017, the Gangster Disciples are a violent gang consisting of 25,000 to 50,000 members that is active in 110 cities across 31 states, predominantly throughout the Midwest and Southeast. The Gangster Disciples’ main source of income is through drug trafficking, but the gang is also involved in other criminal activity, including assault, auto theft, fraud, homicide and money laundering.

The Gangster Disciples, formerly known as the Black Gangster Disciples, formed in Chicago in 1968 when Larry Hoover, leader of the Supreme Gangsters, and David Barksdale, leader of the Black Disciples, decided to unite their gangs.

Cape gang activity

Sgt. Joey Hann said the Cape Girardeau Police Department is monitoring the city for the presence of more gang activity.

“In the past, we experienced a short span of outlaw motorcycle and hybrid street gang activity, but many of their influential members have since been incarcerated,” Hann said. “The Cape Girardeau Police Department has historically done well with identifying such activity at its early onset and disrupting the activity before it can root and evolve into violence.”

Although Cape Girardeau police are watching for potential gang activity, keeping tabs on the number of gang members who could potentially reside in the city is troublesome.

“Determining an accurate number of gang members is very difficult,” Hann said. “We have a large number of younger residents who emulate gang affiliations through graffiti, tattoos and artwork, but they were never formally inducted into any organized gang. The opposite side of the spectrum that makes an accurate count of gang members difficult is the fact that many members who are legitimate make efforts to mask their affiliations and memberships.”

Law enforcement strategies

The Cape Girardeau Police Department utilizes multiple strategies to counter gang activity.

“One tactic our officers use to combat gang activity is to categorize and gather intelligence on potential gang activity and members,” Hann said. “We log affiliations and associations for suspects, and often use this intelligence to create and link criminal acts for potential gang connections.

“Our corrections officers also categorize all possible gang tattoos for suspects and inmates that are taken into custody, and our school resource officers, community service officers, patrolman and task force officers are always vigilant in documenting tattoos, graffiti, clothing and images that could suggest gang affiliations.”

Anyone with any information about possible gang activity in the area may submit an anonymous tip with Cape Girardeau Police Department by calling (573) 339-6313, texting “CAPEPD” to 847411, filling out the form online or downloading the “CapePD Tips” app on the Apple App Store for iPhone or Google Play for Android. Anyone with information who lives outside of the department’s jurisdiction may contact the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office at (573) 339-6312 or by completing the form at www.capecountysheriff.org/crime_tip.php or the Missouri State Highway Patrol at (573) 751-3313.