DANVILLE (WSLS10) - Southside officers are learning more about gang culture in hopes of preventing it.
On Wednesday, the Virginia Gang Investigator's Association held a class in Danville at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research.
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Topics included how to identify a gang by looking at graffiti, why people join gangs and what people have to do to join a gang.
Danville Police Department Lt. Mike Wallace said a lot of gang activity starts in schools, so he hopes the training will help officers have a better chance of stopping students from joining gangs.
"You don't want to mistake a child for being in a gang when it's not, but you also want to be aware of it if they are," Wallace explained. "And, it puts our officers in a position to be able to pass that along to school administration and teachers."
Attendees also learned how to respond to and report gang activity.