Youth Gang Investigations

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Youth Gang Investigations

• Chapter 15

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Overview

• The Growing Problem
• Drugs, Firearms, and Gangs
• Investigation Methods
• Review Questions
• Opportunity for Student Questions

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Learning Objectives

• Understand how and why gangs are a growing crime
  problem
• Know the four elements that define a street youth
  gang
• Discuss the connection of drugs and firearms to
  street gangs
• Describe the motivations for joining a youth gang
• Understand the various investigative methods
  commonly employed against violent youth gangs

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Youth Gangs

• Youth gangs are often referred to as street gangs
• The Chicago Police Department defines a street
  gang as an association of youthful individuals,
  generally ranging in age from 13 to early 20s who
  exhibit the following characteristics
• A gang name and recognizable symbols
• A defined geographic territory
• Regular meeting patterns
• An organized, continuous course of criminality

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Gang Prevalence in the U.S.

• The National Institute of Justice documented
• Gangs are a formidable problem in both large and
  small cities
• Nearly 846,000 members belong to more than 31,000
  gangs in 5,000 jurisdictions
• Youth crime has increased dramatically in the
  last two decades
• 2.3 million juveniles were arrested in 1995, a
  175 increase since 1975
• DOJ reported
• Juveniles commit 20 of all violent crime
• The rate is far out of proportion to their numbers

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Offender Characteristics

• The majority of youth gang members are black or
  Hispanic
• The proportion of white and female involvement is
  increasing
• Recently, gangs have begun to reflect Central and
  South American, Asian, and Jamaican populations
• The vast majority of members are male (90)

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Offender Characteristics(continued)

• 71 of members are age 15 to 24
• 16 are under 15 years of age
• Only 13 are over 24 years old

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Offender CharacteristicsBy Race

• Hispanic 44
• African American 35
• Caucasian 14
• Asian 5

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The Making of a Gang Member

• One study showed that every gang leader had left
  school prematurely and most were expelled for
  assaultive behavior
• In most large cities, gang membership is
  multigenerational
• Father was a gang member
• Older brother is a member

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The Making of a Gang Member (continued)

• There is also informal social and family
  recruitment that is reinforced through
  incarceration in local jails or prison
• Intimidation plays a role in 20 of gang
  recruitment
• Most gang affiliation is through
• Family
• Friends
• Drug-dealing activities

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Female Gang Members

• Females may be found as auxiliary branch members
  of exclusive male gangs
• They may form fully autonomous organizations
• Surveys indicate that at least 100 girl gangs are
  operating in the U.S.
• Females compromise 10 of gang membership
• There are an estimated 84,000 girls in gangs

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Female Gang Members (continued)

• Female gangs are typically structured to resemble
  male groups with similar
• Initiations
• Meetings
• Associated criminality
• Female gang members appear to have three
  behavioral constants in their backgrounds
• Early sexual activity
• Delinquency
• Strong susceptibility to peer pressure

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Four Elements of Social Hierarchy Found in Gangs

• Founding members
• Referred to as original gangsters
• Are held in high esteem
• Hard-core members
• Generally, these members are 16 ? 24 years of age
• Totally dedicated to the gang
• New members
• Referred to commonly as baby gangsters
• Range in age from 12 to 16 years old
• Street lookouts
• Known sometimes as tiny gangsters

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Gang Crime Patterns

• Homicides and other violent crimes account for
  nearly 50 of all recorded gang-related crime
  incidents
• Other common crimes include
• Narcotics
• Shootings
• Assaults and robbery
• Extortion
• Terrorizing entire neighborhoods

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Gangs and Drug Dealing

• Approximately 10 of gang-related crime is
  dedicated to drug dealing
• A distinguishing characteristic of gangs is the
  using and selling of crack cocaine and
  methamphetamine
• At least half of all crack cocaine sold in the
  U.S. is trafficked by gangs
• Youth gangs also distribute large quantities of
  meth and other drugs as well
• 56 of all arrests involving Chicagos oldest
  African-American street gangthe Vice Lordsare
  for drug dealing or possession
• As gangs distribute more narcotics, they approach
  the distinction of being termed an organized
  crime group

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Gangs and Homicide

• DOJ estimates that nearly 1,100 gang-related
  killings occur each year
• One of every 21 homicide victimizations is gang
  related
• The new street gang is far more focused on deadly
  violence
• Homicides are often committed using the drive-by
• Gang retaliations are a common motive
• Higher homicide rates are attributed to
• Drug dealing
• More lethal weaponry
• Frequent drive-by homicides

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Gangs and Associated Violence

• Gangs are responsible for expressive violence
• Destructive behavior
• No practical purpose (it is violence for the sake
  of violence)
• Random beatings
• Arson
• Auto theft
• Frequent use of firearms

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Gang Graffiti

• Gangs create staggering amounts of graffiti
• Made by taggers or tagging crews
• High-tech tagging is rapidly spreading

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Investigative Procedures

• There are two basic investigative responses to
  gang crime
• Reactive ? investigated after the crime has been
  committed
• Traditional investigations
• Proactive ? the attempt to interrupt crime prior
  to it being consummated
• Undercover operations
• Using informants
• Community policing strategies
• Criminal activity needs to be sorted into
  gang-related and non-gang-related activity by law
  enforcement in order to determine the correct
  investigative strategy

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Determining if an Incident is Gang-RelatedEight
Criteria

1. IdentificationCrimes that stem from the
   significance a gang places on certain symbols
   (hand signs, language, graffiti)
2. RecruitmentOffenses related to recruiting gang
   members
3. ExtortionEfforts to exact payments
4. Territory violationsCrimes committed to guard a
   gangs turf or to disrespect anothers territory

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Determining if an Incident is Gang-RelatedEight
Criteria (continued)

1. PrestigeCrimes committed either to glorify the
   gang or to gain rank or peer status
2. Internal conflictOffenses that result from
   internal conflicts or power struggles
3. ViceOffenses typically involving the
   distribution of drugs (cocaine, crack, meth, PCP,
   or heroin), gambling, or prostitution
4. RetaliationCriminal acts of revenge for real or
   imagined insults

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Three Types of Gang-Infested High-Crime
Neighborhoods

• Turf hot spots
• Neighborhoods in which fights frequently occur
  over territorial boundaries
• Intergang rivalries exist for territory
• Drug hot spots
• Areas in which gang-motivated drug crimes
  predominate
• Assaults and homicides related to narcotic deals
  are common
• There is heavy traffic from outside the
  neighborhood
• Combination neighborhoods
• Gang-motivated crime often includes both turf and
  drug criminality

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Neighborhood Classifications and Investigative
Strategy

• First, investigators must classify the
  neighborhood
• Depending upon the classification, different
  strategies can be employed
• Turf hot spots require officers to conduct
  frequent field interviews to located concealed
  weapons ? the stop and frisk is effective
• Drug hot spots require standard anti-drug
  investigation tactics (informants, UC buys, and
  buy busts)
• Combination areas require a combination of
  investigative activity

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Investigative Procedures Gang Units

• Comprised of volunteer officers
• Receive special training
• Gang recognition
• Graffiti reading/interpretation
• Hand signs
• Clothing
• Team up with specially-assigned prosecuting
  attorneys to handle gang cases

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Gang Crime Investigative Procedures Using
Computers

• Computer programs are used to track gangs
• Computers are designed to search for and identify
  gang members and gang crimes
• Computers use partial identifies such as
• Nicknames
• Gang tattoos
• Aliases
• Dates of birth
• Residences
• Scars
• Probation/parole status

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Prosecution Issues Witness Reluctance

• Often extraordinary measures are necessary to
  protect witnesses in gang cases
• Threats and retaliation is a realitycausing fear
• One survey showed that 90 of prosecutors in
  large cities and 74 in small jurisdictions
  agreed that obtaining the cooperation of victims
  and witnesses is one of their most significant
  problems
• Another complicating factor is that many victims
  and witnesses are gang members themselves

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Review Questions

1. How does the Chicago Police Department defines a
   street gang?
2. List five offender characteristics of a youth
   gang member.
3. According to one study, what is common to all
   gang leaders in terms of educational history?
4. How many girl-gangs operate in the U.S.?
5. What is the percentage of female gang membership
   compared to all gang members?
6. Describe the social hierarchy found in gangs.
7. Compare and contrast proactive and reactive
   investigative processes.
8. Identify the eight criteria that helps to
   identify if a criminal incident is gang-related.
9. Describe the three types of gang neighborhoods.
10. Why are victims and witnesses of crime
    (especially gang-related) reluctant to cooperate
    with police and prosecutors?

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Student Questions