A protruding red handkerchief from a right back pocket, brown Clarks shoes, and a particular hand signal are among the “symbols” a retired lawman with over 30 years’ experience in the constabulary said the St Catherine-based Klansman gang laid claims to.

The retired inspector of police, who on Tuesday took the stand for the first time in the ongoing trial of 33 alleged members of that criminal outfit, said he had gathered these details while assigned to the Criminal Investigations Bureau (CIB) in 2010 and tasked with the responsibility to review gang-related murders and shootings. The former policeman, who said he read hundreds of files and a thousand or more statements dealing exclusively with gang matters, stated that during that time he became more familiar with the One Order and Klansman gangs in St Catherine and its “prominent” actors.

“I interfaced with them, talked to them, carried out operations against them. I interviewed both active members of the gang, as well as past members,” according to the retired police inspector, who said he, at last check, had interviewed more than 300 members of the Klansman gang.

‘They usually carry a red handkerchief in their right back pocket and wear brown Clarks shoes. So, over the years, if I happen to see anybody in the streets [of Spanish Town] dressed like that they become of interest to me. The handkerchief usually pops out, it’s not hidden, and when people see that they know it is a gang member and they should hold their space,” the witness said.

He further told the court that gang members had shared with him that these signs and symbols were not random but were peculiar to them. The former lawman said he has photographs, taken from various social media accounts, to support his claims.

He also told the court that the gangsters are known to sport tattoos, which signify their allegiance to the gang or someone they love. He said tattooed teardrops, known to be worn by gangsters to indicate the number of individuals who they have killed, have been observed on members of the Klansman and other gang members.

Gangsters, he said, considered cellphones their “best friend” next to their guns, adding that he also used social media to get insight into their activities.

“Usually, they lay bare their lives on these platforms. I would have seen gang members with particular signs and symbols, which they attribute to the Klansman. They hold the palm up, twist the middle fingers and hold it across their face; it is their sign made popular by a particular entertainer,” the ex-policeman said, demonstrating the sign for the court. Accused gang leader Andre “Blackman” Bryan yesterday writhed in ‘silent laughter’ after the former policeman displayed the sign, while other accused looked on almost smugly, eyeing each other.

Further, the retired cop said at times the members were seen on social media posing with guns or talking about guns.

In the meantime, he said the Klansman gang, which he has classified as “bordering” between a second and third generation gang was “sophisticated” in its operations, particularly in their handling of extortion victims. He said victims would be presented with a letter informing them that they were required to pay a fee for the protection of their businesses. The letter he said is usually followed by a telephone call threatening the death of family members or the individual. He said it was not unusual for the bearer of the letter to be unaware on whose behalf he was delivering the letter.

“They will see a youngster and give him a letter and say carry it over there, [but] he doesn’t even know what he is delivering,” the former policeman told the court.

He said he got this from both active and retired members of the gang, adding that retired gangsters cannot leave the gangs or they will be killed. As such, he said they remain as elders and dispense “guidance”.

On Tuesday, the retired lawman said he has investigated the Klansman, One Order, G-City (Trelawny), Young Generation (West Kingston), and Umbrella (St Catherine) gangs during his over 30-year stint in the constabulary. He said the Klansman and One Order internal feuds have led to five other gangs being formed from their splinters.

The lawman’s disclosures came following a voir dire (preliminary examination), which lasted several hours and in which he was mercilessly grilled by defence attorneys. In the end it was ruled that he could not be allowed to testify as an “expert” in gang matters as certain foundational procedures required by the courts from the outset had not been observed by the prosecution. As such the only evidence he will be allowed to give under oath is in relation to his statement as a regular police officer. Furthermore, it was pointed out by defence attorney Lloyd McFarlane that he was “not an unbiased and objective witness” as he had an interest to serve in seeing the accused convicted, having actively conducted investigations leading to their arrest and charge.

In the meantime, the retired inspector of police, when recalled to the stand today, will have to clarify for the court the absence of any record of purported conversations involving himself, Bryan, and his attorney or how those meetings came to be in the first instance.

On Monday, prosecutors said the lawman, while in meetings with Bryan, who supposedly had a lawyer in tow, had been told about the origins of the feud between him and his predecessor Tesha Miller, who is now incarcerated, and how he became the faction’s leader. Further, the Crown said there was interaction between the former policeman and one of the accused, which showed that a bribe was offered for him to drop the investigations.