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.

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