Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs and the Criminal Connection

Course Description:

Beginning in the 1930’s motorcycle clubs formed on the west coast of the United States (US). Those clubs survived both World Wars and in the later 1940’s expanded nationally, morphing into what law enforcement today calls Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (OMGs). This class provides the history, roots and overview of the early national expansion through today’s global criminal originations.The training focuses on current nationally and globally dominant OMGs which varies regionally in the US. As such, this training is specifically tailored to reflect US regional changes, featuring specific history, structure, overview, indicia and identifiers for each of the US dominant OMGs.The training focuses on the OMG lifestyle covering overall criminality, lifestyle, currently trends and patterns, intelligence gathering, predictive analytics, violence through expansion, contacts, and lawful traffic stops, case law, source development and report writing.Today’s US OMGs are sophisticated syndicates with international partners and reach through global connections with established drug distribution organizations (DTOs). OMGs have expanded into Mexico, South American, and the Middle Eastern and Australian forging connections with criminal cartels in all corners of the world. These criminal connections facilitate a host of criminal operations (that included narcotics and others). US based OMGs utilize violence to protect and/or expand their territory and continuing criminal enterprises.This two-day course prepares the attendee for those criminal investigations, by immersing the attendee in the current OMG subculture. By understanding OMG history, criminality, and indicia, this training is structured to enhance the attendee’s OMG training, knowledge and experience, preparing them to successfully investigate “OMGs and Their Criminal Connection”.

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Understand the history of OMGs in the United States and how that knowledge can be useful in criminal investigations
• Identify nationally dominant OMGs/members from indicators, including tattoos, colors, key words, abbreviations, and slogans
• Develop a working knowledge of OMG criminality including narcotics investigations
• Understand and use the proper officer safety and case law for contacting/stopping OMG members
• Understand the necessity of intelligence gathering, information sharing, and team building relating to OMG criminal activities

Prerequisites: None

Course Length: 2 days / 16 hours

Who May Attend: Law Enforcement, Military Intelligence