NCJ Number
250831
Date Published
2007
Length
52 pages
Annotation
This monograph provides community prosecution tools that reduce gang crime by using trespass laws to eliminate gang "hot spots."
Abstract
The American Prosecutors Research Institute (APRI) has identified six key elements of community prosecution: 1) a focus on problemsolving, public safety, and quality-of-life issues; 2) inclusion of the community's input on how to improve the criminal justice system; 3) partnerships involving the prosecutor, law enforcement, public and private agencies, and the community; 4) varied preventon, intervention, and enforcement methods; 5) a clearly defined focus area, which has traditionally been defined as a targeted geographic area; and 6) an integrated approach that involves both reactive (e.g., prosecuting crimes identified by the police) and proactive strategies. The key to the application of community prosecution strategies to gang-reduction efforts is the identification of community partners with leverage for solving problems that cannot be resolved by criminal justice agencies alone. They can provide community support for new laws, form block watches and foot patrols, monitor crime, share trespass authority with law enforcement, and document criminal activity at "drug houses" that can be the basis for obtaining search warrants. One of the most effective tools against gangs that use private property in illegal drug transactions is to make law enforcement officers agents of private property owners in removing gang members from their properties. As an example, this monograph outlines steps that make police officer agents of a private property woner at an apartment complex where girlfriends of gang members often live. Other examples are also provided to show how law enforcement officers can be authorized to enter private property where gangs may conduct activities against the wishes of property owners. 4 figures and appended supplementary information