TARBORO — Not as large or organized as they are in big cities, gangs are definitely a part of Tarboro and surrounding areas.

Local law enforcement has been on top of this issue for quite a while and knows that their diligence is what has kept this issue from growing.

"We have gangs here in Tarboro," said Sgt. Bob Cox of the Tarboro Police Department. "They are more of a presence than a problem. Their problem is with each other but it is all around us."

Cox heads up the gang investigations unit at the TPD and said that he has come across gang members from Tarboro, Princeville, Pinetops, Scotland Neck and Rocky Mount while patrolling streets.

The diligence that has kept this issue at bay includes taking a proactive stance against it.

"As soon as we realized we had gangs here, we were as proactive as possible," Cox said. "When we see people openly showing their gang affiliation, we approach them and find out who they are."

Proactive also means making sure the first lines of defense know what signs to look for that someone may be in a gang.

Cox said that when the gang unit began he went to the schools throughout the county and met with faculty and staff before the start of the school year and educated them on what to look for.

The Edgecombe County Public Schools took it a step further by implementing a no tolerance policy with gangs and immediately contacting local law enforcement.

"It is addressed immediately," he said. "This is a gang free zone to promote learning."

These efforts have led to items being confiscated from students as young as middle school that are covered in gang graffiti and information.

Some students have even adopted Old English for their everyday writing along with marking through certain letters or numbers or using stars extensively.

Some parents, even after seeing their child's belongings covered in gang art, chose to remain blind to it while some actively work to keep their children out of gangs and discourage any gang displays or activities.

He has also taken this information to parents via churches and various other community events.

"It's because we're so proactive that we've been keeping it under control," said Cox. "But they're still slipping in. Anywhere I can go, I go (and teach people about gangs). I get calls all the time."

Gang members in this area are between the ages of 14 and 24 and are primarily in what is defined as hybrid gangs.

Hybrid gangs, Cox explained, are made up of people from a neighborhood who get together with a common goal without a definite structure or gang colors, symbols or gestures.

Non-traditional gangs, use the colors, symbols and gestures of a larger, more established gang but lack the structure and heirarchy.

Folk Nation, People Nation, sets of Crips and Bloods, MS-13, Surenos and smaller, more local gangs exist in Edgecombe and surrounding counties but how they operate various from area to area, said Cox.

The drug trade is not a staple in local gang activity but the violence towards rival gangs is an ever present danger.

Illegal drugs to be sold are often found on gang members along with handguns, brass knuckles, knives and box cutters.

Cox said that a recent training, he was advised to start gang prevention and awareness with children as early as kindergarten.

Initially shocked, Cox said that at several community events where he has set up his gang display, the youngest children are some of the ones best able to describe various gang affiliations and the people whose identities are concealed in police gang photos.

"The kids are very aware," he said. "At one event, the young kids knew the hand signs."

Cox is on the steering committee for the Juvenile Crime Prevention Councils of Edgecombe and Nash Counties and is part of the first comprehensive gang assessment in the area.

Using funds and a gang model from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, council is working to assess the gang situation before attacking it from all sides.

"Once the assessment is completed, we can identify whether or not we actually have a gang problems," said Dr. Elizabeth Marsal, the project's research analyst. "If we in fact do, we will be able to identify the most serious and prevalent gang-related problems, determine potential factors contributing to gang problems and identify target groups for prevention, intervention and suppression efforts."

In 2009, North Carolina stepped up its efforts to stop the spread of gangs by passing legislation that makes gang activity a felony, particularly the recruitment of children and threats of violence, either immediate or retaliation, for wanting to leave the gang.

Even with all of the efforts from all facets of the community, Cox believes that gangs need to be addressed at the root.

"It's a social problem," he said. "This is not something that the police department can arrest away. Society is going to have to come to terms with this. It's going to have to be a combined effort."