The Kansas City Missouri Police Department Gang Squad lists the following as warning signs of gang membership for parents and other concerned adults:

• Changes in the child's behavior.

• Not associating with long-time friends and being secretive about new friends and activities.

• Changes in hair or dress style and/or having a group of friends who have the same hair or dress style.

• Changes in normal routines with new friends, such as not coming home after school or staying out late at night with no explanation.

• Suspected drug use, such as alcohol, inhalants, and narcotics.

• Unexplained material possessions ion, or other deadly weapons.

• Change in attitude about school, church, or other normal activities.

• Discipline problems at school, church, or attended functions.

• Lower grades at school or skipping school.

• Change in behavior at home -- increases in confrontational behavior, such as talking back, verbal abuse, name calling, and a disrespect for parental authority.

• A new fear of police.

• Phone threats to the family from rival gangs (or unknown callers) directed against your child.

• Photographs of the child and others displaying gang handsigns, weapons, cash, drugs, or gang-type clothing.

• Graffiti on or around the residence, especially in a child's room such as on walls, furniture, clothing, notebooks, etc. Many also include drawings and "doodling" of gang-related figures, themes of violence, or gang symbolisms.

• Physical signs of being in a fight, such as bruises and cuts and secrecy on the child's part as to how they were received.

• A new found sense of bravery -- brags that he/she is too tough to be "messed" with.

• Use of new nickname.

• A new-found sympathy or defending of gang activity by the child.

• Tattoos or "branding" with gang-related symbols.