Lisa Block, public information officer for the Texas Department of Public Safety, recently briefed Gangland Productions on the Bandidos motorcycle gang for a History Channel episode about the group.

Mrs. Block is the daughter of Travis and Mary Ann Herring of Lometa.

The Bandidos formed in March 1966 in Houston. The group first attracted the attention of law enforcement in 1972, when the gang's first president, Donald Chambers, and two other men committed a murder in El Paso, Mrs. Block said.

Since then, five of the Bandidos' six subsequent presidents have served jail sentences, Mrs. Block said.

The Bandidos specialize in drug trafficking -- especially of methamphetamines -- Mrs. Block said, and make money from prostitution and stealing motorcycles and other vehicles.

Group members also have been investigated in connection with a few murders, the DPS spokeswoman said.

The 2,500-member gang counts 250 Bandidos in Texas and has spread to Canada, Costa Rica, Europe and Australia, Mrs. Block said.

Clad in vests with diamondshaped "1 percent" patches, the Bandidos go on "runs," or required trips to various locations in the state.

"They're saying they're a part of the 1 percent of motorcycle groups that are involved in some type of criminal activity," Mrs. Block said of the Bandidos' vest patches.

Gang members often travel with an "old lady" -- slang for a girlfriend or wife -- on the back of their motorcycles, she explained.

A DPS criminal intelligence lieutenant asked Mrs. Block to do the interview because he sometimes works undercover during investigations. DPS agreed to supply Gangland Productions with information because the department wanted to inform citizens about the Bandidos' activities and the need for vigilance, Mrs. Block said.

Although many safe and lawabiding motorcycle groups exist, the DPS spokeswoman said, Mrs. Block urged citizens to investigate biker clubs carefully before deciding whether to join.

"We want people to be aware of the fact that there are criminal motorcycle groups in the state," Mrs. Block said.

Those who suspect illegal activity should notify DPS, she added.

Although the History Channel did not include film footage of the interview with Mrs. Block, the public information officer said she enjoyed the opportunity to research and discuss DPS' monitoring of the Bandidos' movements.

"That's the good part of this job," the former Lometa resident said. "I get to talk about something different every day."