By Noelani Mathews | WCTV Eyewitness News

VALDOSTA –  Many say it’s an expression of art, but to police, there’s more to that piece of graffiti than most people will ever know.

“Graffiti is all about marking territory,” says Valdosta Police Chief Brian Childress.

He says they come from many different gangs that can be found in any city.

“Not just Lowndes County and Valdosta, but within our region, we’ve identified over a thousand gang members,” says Chief Childress.

This week alone, the Valdosta State Prison and eight other correctional facilities, have been placed on lockdown.

Officials say visitation hours are now canceled due to gang-related violence.

Chief Childress says a Gang Task Force keeps a close eye on activity, but community members should also be aware.

“We got more people dying of violence in our streets than in wars. We need to do something,” says J.D. Martin, with Citizens Against Violence.

Martin also works with Youth Against Violence.

He says young people are the perfect prey for gang leaders.

“I’ve talked to many of them that have been in gangs. These are my boys, they say, they’re going to take care of me, they gave me a place to stay, but there’s a hidden agenda behind all of it,” says Martin.

An agenda, officers see often, in the selling of drugs and other contraband.

“This is just the start of a bigger picture,” Martin says. “We need everybody to help.”

According to the FBI’s National Gang Report for 2015, gang activity is increasing all across the country.