A tattoo is an extremely integral part of belonging to a gang.  It is one of the main indicators of gang affiliation and is used by gangs to not only indicate national affiliation, such as Sureño or Aryan, but to indicate set affiliation, such as Westside Loma or European Kindred.  However, it not uncommon to find groups who do not display tattoos that denote their specific set for fear of law enforcement identification.

Acting as a form of non-verbal communication, tattoos allows gang members to identify themselves without the use of verbal communication.  Through visibly displaying tattoos, a gang can identify a fellow ally or rival gang member.  Tattoos also permit law enforcement as well as the average, observant citizen to identify gang membership.

Tattoos can be placed into four categories.  These categories include alpha, numerical, symbolic/pictorial, and a combination of the preceding categories.  Within each category, gang related tattoos are frequently intricate in design, concealed in larger tattoos, and designed by the wearer while exhibiting the gang’s identifier.  A tattoos is a symbol of membership in a gang and therefore is “gang property.”

ALPHA

Alpha tattoos utilize the alphabet to represent the specific name or acronym of the gang.  This type of tattoo is commonly used by both street and prison gangs.  For example, the acronym ESL stand for Eastside Locos, AB for Aryan Brotherhood, WSB for Westside Blood, LK for Latin Kings, and SVC for Severely Violent Criminals.  Alpha tattoos may appear in various styles of lettering, such as Gothic, Old English, etc.

NUMERICAL

Numerical gang tattoos utilize a number to represent gang affiliation.  This type of tattoo is commonly used by both street and prison gangs.  More often than not, numerical tattoos denote national alliance, such as Sureño (13), Norteño (14), People (5), and Folk (6), rather than set affiliation.  However, when numerical tattoos are used to represent set affiliation, the gang name frequently contains street numbers or block numbers to denote territory or the geographical area they claim, such as the 18th Street Sureños or the Grape Street Crips from California.  Area codes are also used to denote gang affiliation but are not an accurate indicator since area codes represent large geographical area and not a specific neighborhood or street.

SYMBOLIC/PICTORIAL

Symbolic or pictorial tattoos are used to overtly convey gang affiliation.  Prison gangs more often use this type of tattoo than street gangs.  For example, the Aryan Brotherhood uses the shamrock, the Mexican Mafia used the single black handprint called Mano Negro, the Nuestra Familia uses a sombrero with a machete dripping blood through it, and the Latin Kings use a five-point crown.  Symbolic or pictorial tattoos do not follow a standard format.  This type of tattoo can either be stand-alone or it can be part intricate image with a theme.

COMBINATION

This category essentially combines all the previously mentioned categories.  Street gangs more often use this type of tattoo than prison gangs.  For example, Hispanic gangs, such as Southside 13 (Sureño) and Brown Pride 14 (Norteño) use an alpha-numerical combination to represent their gang membership, whereas black gangs, such as the Gangster Disciples (Folk Nation) and Latin Kings (People Nation) use an alpha-symbolic/pictorial combination.  Usually, the number of categories incorporated in combination tattoos depends on the when the gang originated.