Police Response to Gangs: A Multi-Site Study
The author(s) shown below used Federal funds provided by the U.S.
Department of Justice and prepared the following final report:
Document Title:
Police Response to Gangs: A Multi-Site Study
Author(s):
Charles M. Katz; Vincent J. Webb
Document No.:
205003
Date Received:
April 2004
Award Number:
98-IJ-CX-0078
This report has not been published by the U.S. Department of Justice.
To provide better customer service, NCJRS has made this Federallyfunded grant final report available electronically in addition to
traditional paper copies.
Opinions or points of view expressed are those
of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect
the official position or policies of the U.S.
Department of Justice.
Police Response to Gangs:
A Multi-Site Study 1
Prepared for
the
National Institute of Justice
by
Charles M. Katz
Vincent J. Webb
Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology
December 2003
Phoenix, Arizona
1
This research report was funded by the National Institute of Justice, Grant No. 1998-IJ-CX-0078. The
opinions expressed in the report are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the National
Institute of Justice.
This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by the
Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position
or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table of Contents
Abstract ................................................................................................................................ i
Research Goals and Objectives ........................................................................................ i
Research Design and Methodology.................................................................................. i
Research Results and Conclusions..................................................................................ii
Executive Summary ...........................................................................................................iii
Study Sites....................................................................................................................... v
Study Design .................................................................................................................. vi
Field Observations.....................................................................................................vii
Interviews with Gang Unit Officers, Unit Managers, and Stakeholders...................vii
Document Reviews ..................................................................................................viii
Police Gang Units as an Indirect Response to an Objective Problem..........................viii
The Absence of Control and Accountability................................................................... x
Information as the Principal Commodity of Gang Units ............................................... xi
Strategic and Structural Decoupling of Gang Units.....................................................xiii
Police Gang Units and Community Policing ................................................................ xv
Toward Improving the Effectiveness of Police Gang Units ........................................ xvi
Notes...............................................................................................................................xviii
Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................xviii
Authors .......................................................................................................................xviii
Chapter 1. Studying the Police Response to Gangs ............................................................ 1
The Contemporary Gang Problem .................................................................................. 6
Police Response to Gangs: Theoretical, Policy, and Organizational Rationales .......... 13
Prior Research Examining the Police Response to Gangs ............................................ 18
The Present Study.......................................................................................................... 25
Reasons for Establishing Gang Units........................................................................ 26
Alternative Organizational Forms ............................................................................. 27
Gang Unit Officers .................................................................................................... 28
Gang Unit Functions and Activities .......................................................................... 29
Compatibility of Gang Units with Community-Oriented Policing ........................... 30
Chapter 2. Setting and Methods ........................................................................................ 32
Study Setting ................................................................................................................. 32
Police Departments Studied ...................................................................................... 35
A Multi-Methodological Research Design ................................................................... 36
Field Observations..................................................................................................... 36
Interviews with Gang Unit Officers .......................................................................... 41
Document Reviews ................................................................................................... 44
Interviews with Non-Gang Unit Personnel and Stakeholders................................... 47
Data Analysis ............................................................................................................ 48
Verification................................................................................................................ 49
Report Narrative............................................................................................................ 50
This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by the
Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position
or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Police Response to Gangs: A Multi-Site Study ii
Chapter 3. Historical Analysis of Gangs and Gang Control in Four Cities ...................... 54
Inglewood, California.................................................................................................... 55
Response to Gangs: Late 1960s Through 1980......................................................... 58
Response to Gangs: 1981 Through 1989 .................................................................. 61
Response to Gangs: Late 1990s Through 1999......................................................... 65
Albuquerque, New Mexico ........................................................................................... 74
Response to Gangs: 1980 Through 1994 .................................................................. 77
Response to Gangs: 1998 Through 1999 .................................................................. 86
Las Vegas, Nevada........................................................................................................ 91
Response to Gangs: 1980 Through 1986 .................................................................. 92
Response to Gangs: 1987 Through 1990 .................................................................. 97
Response to Gangs: 1991 Through 1998 ................................................................ 104
Phoenix, Arizona......................................................................................................... 109
Response to Gangs: 1970 Through 1983 ................................................................ 109
Response to Gangs: 1984 Through 1994 ................................................................ 113
Response to Gangs: 1991 Through 1999 ................................................................ 116
Summary ..................................................................................................................... 122
Chapter 4. Scope and Nature of the Current Gang Problem in Four Cities .................... 128
Inglewood.................................................................................................................... 129
Documented Gang Crime........................................................................................ 130
Perceptions of the Gang Problem............................................................................ 131
Albuquerque ................................................................................................................ 134
Documented Gang Crime........................................................................................ 137
Perceptions of the Gang Problem............................................................................ 137
Las Vegas .................................................................................................................... 140
Documented Gang Crime........................................................................................ 143
Perceptions of the Gang Problem............................................................................ 144
Phoenix........................................................................................................................ 152
Documented Gang Crime........................................................................................ 153
Perceptions of the Gang Problem............................................................................ 154
National Youth Gang Center Data .............................................................................. 159
Summary ..................................................................................................................... 162
Chapter 5. Form, Function, and Management of the Police Gang Unit.......................... 165
Organization of Gang Control in Police Departments ................................................ 165
Gang Control Functions .............................................................................................. 172
Intelligence .............................................................................................................. 172
Enforcement and Suppression ................................................................................. 174
Prevention and Education........................................................................................ 176
Differentiating Organizational Configurations ........................................................... 177
Gang Unit Control and Management .......................................................................... 184
Written Policies and Procedures ............................................................................. 184
Documenting Gangs, Gang Members, and Gang Crime......................................... 191
Formal Goals and Objectives .................................................................................. 195
Expected Outcomes................................................................................................. 199
Performance Measures ............................................................................................ 201
Supervision of Gang Unit Personnel ....................................................................... 205
This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by the
Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position
or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Police Response to Gangs: A Multi-Site Study iii
Summary ..................................................................................................................... 213
Chapter 6. The Gang Unit Officer................................................................................... 219
Officer Characteristics................................................................................................. 219
Becoming a Gang Unit Officer ................................................................................... 222
Gang Unit Officer Status............................................................................................. 227
Gang Unit Officer Training......................................................................................... 236
Inglewood................................................................................................................ 236
Albuquerque ............................................................................................................ 237
Phoenix.................................................................................................................... 238
Las Vegas ................................................................................................................ 239
Training Quality ...................................................................................................... 241
Officer Perceptions of the Job..................................................................................... 242
Problems Associated with Joining the Gang Unit................................................... 242
Officer Perceptions of Role..................................................................................... 246
Evaluating Gang Unit Officers.................................................................................... 251
Summary ..................................................................................................................... 253
Chapter 7. On the Job...................................................................................................... 257
How the Gang Unit Officers Spent Their Time .......................................................... 257
Enforcement ............................................................................................................ 260
Investigation ............................................................................................................ 265
Intelligence .............................................................................................................. 268
Education and Prevention........................................................................................ 294
Administrative, En Route, and Non-police Related Time ...................................... 297
Gang Unit Officer Contacts......................................................................................... 299
Mobilization of Gang Unit Officers ........................................................................ 299
Individuals Contacted by Gang Unit Officers......................................................... 300
Suspicion Stops ....................................................................................................... 304
Summary ..................................................................................................................... 308
Chapter 8. Organizational Environment: Internal Stakeholder Perceptions ................... 313
Nature and Scope of Local Gang Problems ................................................................ 316
Why Gang Units Exist ................................................................................................ 321
Internal Stakeholder Contacts with Gangs .................................................................. 326
Stakeholders¡¯ Relationships with Gang Units............................................................. 331
Perceptions of Police Roles..................................................................................... 331
Contact and Information Sharing ............................................................................ 335
Communication and Relationships ......................................................................... 337
Perceived Benefits................................................................................................... 344
Perceptions of Gang Unit Activities and Effectiveness .............................................. 347
Gang Unit Activities................................................................................................ 348
Gang Unit Effectiveness.......................................................................................... 350
Perceived Problems in Gang Units.......................................................................... 352
Perceived Factors Affecting Approaches to Gang Control ..................................... 357
Summary ..................................................................................................................... 362
Chapter 9. Organizational Environment: External Stakeholder Perceptions .................. 364
Nature and Scope of Local Gang Problems ................................................................ 365
Perceived Causes of Gang Problems........................................................................... 368
This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by the
Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position
or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
................
................
In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.
To fulfill the demand for quickly locating and searching documents.
It is intelligent file search solution for home and business.
Related download
- 2021 2024 agreement between the city of north las vegas
- police response to gangs a multi site study
- checklist instructions alcohol las vegas
- huntington beach police department adult arrest log
- the reno model reno police department
- rape in nevada university of nevada las vegas
- las vegas metropolitan police department i d f codes
- professional team sports in las vegas what the research says
- sample grant proposal
- city of north las vegas police department
Related searches
- study to become a lawyer
- sample response to performance evaluat
- best response to what s up
- response to how are you
- how to write a summary response essay
- professional response to a complaint
- response to a question for short
- scan a multi page document
- example response to a summons
- response to a compliment letter
- written response to a summons
- customer service response to a complaint