NCJ Number
77299
Date Published
1979
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This report, which is part of a 1978 assessment of organized crime in California, focuses on the activities of and efforts to combat prison and outlaw motorcycle gangs.
Abstract
Formed along ethnic lines for power and protection, the State's major prison gangs are the Mexican Mafia (EME), the Nuestra Familia, the Aryan Brotherhood, and the Black Guerrilla Family. The gangs are antagonistic, but at times, temporary alliances have been established out of mutual need. The EME has reached the highest level of sophistication and has been successful in making contacts with large-scale heroin smugglers. The gangs maintain elaborate lists of enemy members and defectors, who are systematically eliminated, either while in prison or on the street. In 1978, the California Department of Corrections set up a team of prison gang coordinators -- the California Prison Gang Task Force -- in prison and parole regions. This task force conducts multijurisdictional prison gang investigations, makes regular exchanges of criminal intelligence data, and maintains liaison with Federal agencies. In addition, the State's Department of Justice has been actively involved in gang investigations for the past several years and has provided tactical and analytical support to local agencies. Outlaw motorcycle gangs, in existence since the late 1940's have been recently recognized as an organized crime threat. They include the Hell's Angels, the Vagos, the Hessians, the Mongols, and the Misfits. All but the Hell's Angels are local organizations. The Hell's Angels have been involved in assassinations, narcotics trafficking, and infiltration of legitimate businesses. To combat such activities, local investigators in the Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay areas hold periodic meetings to exchange information and Federal agencies are making concerted efforts to apprehend gang members involved in narcotics production, weapons violations, and conspiracies to commit homicide.