KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- In a year that Kansas City has seen a jump in the murder rate, police said that gang activity is increasing.

KMBC's Jere Gish reported that the police department's gang squad is out on the streets every night trying to cut down on the gang-banging.

Police said that gang activity has gotten a lot worse in the metro over the past few years. In Kansas City alone, police have identified more than 3,000 gang members.

"They're involved in marijuana, methamphetamines, crack cocaine, cocaine," said Sgt. Jay Pruetting, who supervises the police department's gang squad.

Pruetting said everyone should be concerned about the problem.

"It's a threat to everybody, not just certain parts of the city. It can go throughout the city. It can go to the suburbs, everywhere," Pruetting said.

Gish reported that police estimate that there are now more than 100 different gangs in Kansas City, like the East Side Locos, 24th Street NBG and the Northeast Side Bloods.

Police estimated that 90 percent of the gang's illegal activity involves drugs.

Gish joined the squad on a night when officers were looking to arrest a suspected drug dealer at his home. The police department's tactical team helped with the operation.

"There's fortification, possibly kids inside, again definitely one pit bull we know about. The subject has been known to be armed in the past," an officer said.

"Sometimes they'll say, 'I don't know if I'll make it until tomorrow, which is sad for somebody that hasn't hit 17 yet," gang squad member Eric Benson said.

Gish said as they waited to serve the search warrant, officers showed him the "newspaper" of the streets -- graffiti.

"It kind of tells you what is going on and who is still mad at who," Benson said.

Walls are filled with gang names and a lot of X-outs -- one gang crossing out another.

"That can lead to violence. It can show, 'Hey, my gang is in the area also,'" Pruetting explained.

Later in the night, the target of the warrant was spotted in a car outside the house. The car took off and police pursued.

"We've got a motorcycle officer that's going to pull him over," an officer said.

Four people were in the car. The target of the warrant was taken into custody. With the man under arrest, officers served the search warrant the house they had staked out.

Gish reported that an undercover officer made a drug buy at the house, but finding the supply often proves tricky. Drug dealers are always moving the drugs around. In fact, the gang squad did not find much at the house they searched -- just a small amount of marijuana and some cash. But then a break in the case led them to a house not far away, where police said they found a large amount of crystal methamphetamine, cocaine, pot and more than $80,000 in cash.

"It happens like this every once and a while. You start at one place and you go down the trail and it leads you to bigger and better things," Pruetting said.

The methamphetamine and cocaine found in the home had a street value estimated at more than $60,000. Gish reported that the men involved were part of a Mexican gang called Granado.