NCJ Number
143449
Journal
Sociological Spectrum Volume: 13 Issue: 2 Dated: (April-June 1993) Pages: 209-226
Date Published
1993
Length
18 pages
Annotation
Police perceptions of gang traits are examined to compare the findings of recent scientific studies of the gang phenomenon with those of law enforcers.
Abstract
Questionnaires were completed by 79 chiefs of police or heads of local gang task forces. The independent variables used in the study include city size, age of gang members, out- of-town affiliations, competition from rivals, longevity in the jurisdiction, level of organizational sophistication, and predominant racial group. Predictors of police perceptions of the severity of the gang problem in their city were determined through regression analysis. The eight independent variables explained more than 42 percent of the variance in severity ratings. The data suggested that, as gang size increases, degree of organizational sophistication also increases. These two variables strongly influence police perceptions of the severity of the gang problem and mirror similar scholarly research. The authors speculate that the same pressures that produce marginalization among urban youth will also produce large gangs if jurisdiction size remains constant. Sophisticated gangs attract police scrutiny, which leads to greater media focus and eventually attracts more youths to the gangs. The data suggest that black gangs are more often associated with perceptions of a significant gang problem, perhaps because their activities are more visible to police than, for example, those of Asian gang members who tend to be more integrated into their neighborhoods. Out-of-town affiliation was, surprisingly, inversely related to organizational level. 1 table and 53 references