Anti-Gang Measures of Local Law Enforcement Agencies within California

• NCJ Number: 232100
• Author(s): Dr. Harold K. Becker; Shauna Clark
• Date Published: January 2004
• Length: 72 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: California State University Faculty Research Fellows Program
• Corporate Author: California Senate Office of Research
• Sale Source: California State University Faculty Research Fellows Program
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined how local law enforcement agencies in California are measuring the effects of their anti-gang strategies, with attention to whether or not agencies are changing their measures, including inflating gang-crime statistics, in order to obtain State and Federal funding.

Abstract

This examination of 243 police and sheriff's departments' measures of the effects of anti-gang strategies determined that there are serious problems with the ways in which gang crimes are classified, and there are variations in anti-gang tactics among the law enforcement agencies; however, neither the reporting of crime data nor the variations in law enforcement strategies is related to efforts to gain State or Federal funding. The latter conclusion stems from the finding that California's local law enforcement officials generally perceive that State and Federal money for gang mitigation either is not available for their use or is too difficult to access. Nearly all funding for local law enforcement comes from the local government (city or county) in which the law enforcement agency is based. The study also examined three significant variations in anti-gang strategies among law enforcement agencies. One variation pertains to philosophy, with suppression (enforcement, imprisonment) being the preferred strategy for most agencies. A second variation involves the composition of the community in terms of size, age of incorporation, and demographics. These features have a role in the formation of gangs and gang strength. A third variation involves the classification of gangs, gang membership, and gang-related crime. Although the State penal code is specific on gang crime, the application of the code - the statistical identification of the crimes - is not consistent among agencies. Policy recommendations pertain to gang crime classification, support for youth gang prevention, evaluation of gang peacemaking, State-level leadership, and central coordination of State activities and policies on gangs. 17 figures, 3 tables, a bibliography, and appended literature review of California studies and research