Anyone know what it means when a person gets a teardrop tattoo beneath their eye? I've heard different stories and I was wondering what's true.

I remember seeing in a movie that it was supposed to mean that the wearer had killed someone. Looking through google, I found several court cases where defendants had such a tattoo and witnesses testified to that meaning.

I also found a police officer, who claimed experience and training in street gangs and gang intelligence, testifying "There are several meanings to the teardrop. . . . One is for loss of a homeboy or friend. One particular reason is for how many times you've been to the jail. And one time it is noted as this is the last time I'll ever cry." Interestingly, he doesn't seem to have mentioned the symbolism of killing someone.

Finally, I found a newspaper article where an exconvict said that it used to mean (when he got it) that the wearer had killed someone, had served time, or had lost a fellow gang member to violence. He, other former gang members, and a police officer alll told the journalist that this is no longer the meaning. They say that these days, it just symbolizes gang affiliation of any sort.

Thanks Methos. I had heard that it meant they had killed someone and if they had more than one tattoo, that meant they had killed more than one person. I found this kind of hard to believe at first. After reading your info, I believe there's some truth to it.

I've seen celebrities wearing fake/removeable teardrops, and now I'm wondering if they had a meaning.