Gang violence in Fort Wayne is different from other cities

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) – A Fort Wayne Police Detective Sergeant says gang violence has remained consistent in the 20 years he’s been with the force, but Fort Wayne’s gangs are different from the crime organizations known around the world.

Sergeant Gary Hensler, chief of the city police’s Gang and Violent Crimes Unit, leads a team of investigators focused on tracking down gangs, arresting confirmed gang members and investigating crimes linked to the organizations. Hensler said the gangs in Fort Wayne are not like better-known nationwide gangs like the Bloods, Crips and Latin Kings – he says they are more like hybrid groups that come and go quickly.

“They show up, have certain new flashy names, and then disappear,” Hensler said. “They get to middle school or high school, become extremely violent, we arrest some of the core members, and then they kind of disband and a new gang pops up.”

Hensler said that with local gangs constantly being formed and dismantled, it’s difficult to determine how many are actually active at any one time, but he estimates there are currently between 10 and 20. Compared to the number of gangs that once existed in the city, the detective believes the number has remained constant, but the “new wave of gangs” is younger and more violent.

The young age of members and the lack of structure typical of typical criminal organizations may be partly to blame for the increased violence, Hensler said. They often start out as victims in some way, he added, saying many members were bullied as young children and “grew up on the streets.”

They then build their gang’s identity by taking ideas from social media and nationally known gangs to create something that can protect them, Hensler said.

“Some of them are extremely violent, some of them are not,” Henlser said. “The extremely violent ones are the ones who actually become leaders because they have this charisma – they’re willing to go out and shoot.”

“Then there are many followers who only join in because the name promises protection.”

Hensler estimates that there have been dozens of active gangs on the streets of Fort Wayne over the past 25 years. There were regularly two or three gangs fighting each other at the same time and then disappearing to make way for new organizations.

The detective said many violent crimes, including murders, can be linked to gangs in Fort Wayne – even if the victim is not a gang member. Taking out accomplices of gang members can be a victory for a rival gang, he said.

“If you’re a hardcore gang member, I don’t have to take you out to win,” Hensler said. “I have to take out someone who’s associated with you, that’s how they look at it now.”

“As sad as it is, that’s just how they see it.”

Hensler said it’s important for parents to keep an eye on their children, where they’re going and who they’re seeing. There are no guarantees, he said, but if families know who and what they’re seeing, the chances of anything happening to them are “very, very low.”

“Help raise your kids, help raise your neighbors’ kids, become part of the community,” Hensler said. “Community is the solution.”

The detective said he would encourage people to contact police through anonymous tip lines such as the free P3 Tips app or by calling Fort Wayne police at 427-1201 or Crime Stoppers at 436-7867.

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