Attorney General Henry McMaster addressed 200 law enforcement officers and prosecutors Wednesday on how to use the state grand jury to investigate gang related drug crimes. In 2002, there were 370 gang crimes in the state. The next year it was up to 522 and continues to grow.

While local police say gangs are not a problem, they're afraid the problem may spread to the Lowcountry from other other cities. State officials say the biggest gang problem is in Richland County. Police have identified more than 50 gangs and over 800 potential gang members there. That's a major concern for Lowcountry police, because the Lowcountry is not that far from Richland County.

In an interview with North Charleston Police Chief Jon Zumalt last month, he says gang prevention is one of his top goals.

“I've heard that Columbia, South Carolina is starting to have some gang problems there. So they're starting to creep into this state,” said Zumalt. “I came from Wichita, Kansas and there we had thousands of gangs, and they came from California, bloods and crypts. And they became a very difficult challenge to the safety and welfare of Wichita. I’m not going to allow that to happen in North Charleston.”

Zumalt says education is a key part of gang prevention. At a press conference in Columbia last year, Attorney General Henry McMaster displayed signs of gang activity that police need to be on the lookout for, like tattoos, graffiti, and even athletic clothing.

“Keeping them from getting a foothold is the objective. Cuz once they get in, it's difficult to drive them out,” said Zumalt.

North Charleston police say a few gang members do live in their jurisdiction, although they don't display obvious signs like graffiti. North Charleston has applied for a state grant to develop a gang task force. They want to create a database for gang member and train officers to identify gang activities.

   The Charleston County Sheriff's office says they haven't seen any indications of gang activity.