Police: Des Plaines Gangs Located in Same Area for 15 Years

A recent rash of gang-related graffiti in a Des Plaines neighborhood that residents said had not been similarly vandalized in the past raised questions about the state of gangs in the northwest suburb.

At first, police said they suspected the graffiti found north of Algonquin Road was the work of Latin Kings gang members that resided in that neighborhood. It was later determined, Deputy Chief Nicholas Treantafeles said, juveniles that sought to impress gang members were responsible for damaging approximately 17 surfaces with graffiti on Feb. 17.

Treantafeles said during the almost 30 years he has worked at the Des Plaines Police Department, gang activity has been concentrated in roughly the same area.

Two gangs are known to be located on the south side of Des Plaines, Treantafeles said, in an approximately eight-block area, south of Oakton Street, west of Mannheim Road, near Prospect Avenue and Pine Court. A faction of Latin Kings were known to be located in the northern part of that area, Treantafeles said, and a group of Imperial Gangsters were known to be located in the southern part of that area.

While gang activity in Des Plaines occurred primarily in the south part of the city during the last 30 years, Treantafeles said, it was prevalent in the last 15 years.

“We have a faction of Latin Kings on the south side and a faction of Imperial Gangsters, and they’re always feuding with each other,” Treantafeles said.

Treantafeles said Des Plaines police took gang-related graffiti seriously, and they had a proactive approach to dealing with it. When police receive a call about graffiti, he said, they respond immediately, take a photograph of it, attempt to identify the gang it is associated with, and the person responsible for the vandalism.

“We’ll try and decipher to find out who that individual was,” Treantafeles said. “Sometimes they’ll leave their own little signature mark.”

In a previous interview with Patch, Treantafeles said gang-related graffiti came in waves. He also said the vandalism was done for primarily two reasons: either gang members were marking their turf, or they were showing disrespect to another gang by leaving marks on their turf.

When graffiti was reported to police and recorded, it gave police an idea of where gang activity occurred and whether a feud between gangs took place, Treantafeles said.

“It’s just a whole philosophy of the public and the police working together; they’re like our eyes and ears because we can’t be everywhere all the time, we can’t see everything,” Treantafeles said. “By the public advising us of the graffiti, it allows us to keep on top of the gang activity.”

The table below shows the number of graffiti incidents reported since 2010, the number of arrests made in connection with the incidents, and the number of cases that were cleared.

Graffiti-related arrests in Des Plaines

When graffiti is reported, in addition to dispatching police to photograph the vandalism, Treantafeles said, police notify the Cook County Sheriff’s graffiti removal unit. Cook County police remove the graffiti at no charge from both public and private properties, with a signed consent form, he said, within 48 hours.

“We try to stay on this; we’re really proactive,” Treantafeles said.

Des Plaines police do not overlook gang-related graffiti, Treantafeles said.

“Just the fact that arrests are being made speaks volumes that we take the gang graffiti very seriously,” Treantafeles said. “We don’t just look the other way.”

For more stories, pictures, information and conversation, like Des Plaines Patch on Facebook.

Sign up for Des Plaines Patch’s free daily newsletter.