LEGU - 07 2007 Survey of Law Enforcement Gang Units (REVISED)

OMB Number, Expires:

2 007 Census of Law

Enforcement Gang Units

Bureau of Justice Statistics

U.S. Department of Justice

Chief John Q. Smith

Akron Police Department

Akron, OH

Dear Chief Smith:

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), through contract with the Institute for the Study and Prevention of Violence at Kent State University, is conducting a study of the law enforcement community’s response to street gang. The 2007 Census of Law Enforcement Gang Units corresponds with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)’s initiative for the improvement of knowledge, policy, practice, and training on gang prevention and anti-gang enforcement. The Census will focus on large police agencies nationwide with at least one officer dedicated primarily to gang activity. The goal is to collect data regarding how law enforcement agencies are organized to deal with gangs, the gang problems they face, and the types of tactics they employ.

We request that you participate in this important survey effort. The information collected will assist law enforcement agencies and the criminal justice community as a whole in the development of more effective programs to prevent gang violence and enforce anti-gang laws when such violence does occur. Findings will be available from the BJS website (www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs) in 2009.

Although this survey is voluntary, we need and appreciate your cooperation to make the results comprehensive, accurate, and timely. We have designed the questionnaire to be as straightforward and concise as possible and ask that you complete it within 14 days. If you have any questions contact Dr. Thomas Brewer, principal investigator, at: 330-672-0315 and/or [email protected].

Sincerely,

Director,

Bu Bureau of Justice Statistics

The Census of Law Enforcement Gang Units is endorsed by the following agencies:

2 007 Census of Law

Enforcement Gang Units

Bureau of Justice Statistics

U.S. Department of Justice

SECTION 1 – GENERAL INFORMATION

1. Please provide the official name of your gang unit: (for example, ‘Union City Gang Unit’)

2. What year was the gang unit created?

3. Does your gang unit routinely address any of the following types of groups?

a. Street gangs Yes No

b. “Wannabe” gangs (emulate the gang lifestyle but commit few actual crimes) Yes No

c. Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (OMG) Yes No

d. Hate groups (for example, Aryan

Nation) Yes No

e. Prison gangs Yes No

f. Terrorist organizations Yes No

g. Organized crime families (e.g. mafia) Yes No

h. Other Yes No

4. Does your jurisdiction make use of civil gang participation injunctions?

Yes No

5. Does your unit have a formal definition someone must meet in order to be classified as a gang member?

Yes No

If yes, is that definition set by statue?

Yes No

What is this definition?

6. Does your unit have a formal definition a group must meet in order to be classified as a gang?

Yes No

If yes, is that definition set by statue?

Yes No

What is this definition?

SECTION 2 – PERSONNEL

7. Report the number of full-time equivalent employees assigned to your gang unit by the following categories as of August 1, 2007

Total sworn personnel assigned to gang unit

	Uniformed Officers?	Plainclothes Officers?
a. Full-Time	Yes No	Yes No
b. Part-Time	Yes No	Yes No

Total sworn personnel assigned to gang unit by gender

	Males	Females
a. Full-Time
b. Part-Time

Total sworn personnel assigned to gang unit by race/ethnicity

	Full-Time	Part-Time
a. White (non-Hispanic officers
b. Black (non-Hispanic) officers
c. Hispanic officers
d. Asian officers
e. American Indian or Alaskan Native officers
g. Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander officers
h. Two or more races
i. No information available*

* This category should be used to report officers for whom no information on race or Hispanic origin is available.

Total non-sworn personnel assigned to gang unit

	Males	Females
a. Full-Time
b. Part-Time

8. How are officers primarily selected or assigned to your gang unit?

Competitive selection process when vacancies/

opportunities occur (e.g., promotion board)

Command staff identifies line officers who are then assigned to the unit

Current gang unit officers identify line officers who are then assigned to the unit

Other

9. Which of the following best describe the formal selection standards/criteria for gang unit officers? Mark (X) one for each:

	Standard set the same for all officers	Standard set higher for gang unit officers	Not used as a selection standard
a. Complaint history
b. Discipline history
c. Use-of-Force record
d. Financial/credit history

10. Is there a maximum amount of time that officers can serve in the gang unit?

Yes No

If yes, what is the maximum time? (Include all possible extensions)

Years	Months

11a. Do you specifically recruit officers with any of the following characteristics?

a. Minority officers Yes No

b. Female officers Yes No

c. Officers who speech foreign

languages Yes No

d. Officers raised in neighborhoods

similar to those typically served

by the gang unit Yes No

11b. Do you have difficulty recruiting officers with any of the following characteristics?

a. Minority officers Yes No

b. Female officers Yes No

c. Officers who speak foreign

languages Yes No

d. Officers raised in neighborhoods

similar to those typically served

by the gang unit Yes No

e. Other characteristics your unit looks for in potential members

12. Do new members of your gang unit receive any formal training related to gangs?

a. A specialized training at an

academy or other formal setting Yes No

b. On-the-job training Yes No

c. Other Yes No

13. Do members of the gang unit receive periodic training on gang issues at conferences or other formal settings outside of your agency?

Yes No

SECTION 3 – OPERATIONS

14. Do officers in your gang unit regularly respond to general calls for service (not necessarily gang related)?

Yes No

15. Rank the following functions in terms of how your unit spends the greatest proportion of time? (1= the unit spends the greatest proportion of time on this function 5=equals the least amount of time) Use each number only once.

a. Investigation

b. Intelligence

c. Support

d. Field Contact/Suppression

e. Prevention programs

6. Does your gang unit utilize any of the following types of patrol or operational activities?

a. Foot patrol Yes No

b. Bicycle patrol Yes No

c. Directed/targeted patrol of high

crime areas Yes No

d. Routine patrol Yes No

e. Undercover gang infiltration Yes No

f. Undercover surveillance

operations Yes No

g. Other Yes No

17. Do any of the following agencies assign personnel to work with the gang unit on a regular basis?

a. Housing authority management Yes No

b. Probation Yes No

c. Parole Yes No

d. State or local prosecutor Yes No

e. Officials from local, state, and/or

federal detention facilities Yes No

f. Other Yes No

18. Does your gang unit participate in any local/regional task forces that primarily investigate gangs?

Yes No

If Yes, what is the name of the task force?

19. Does your unit work with federal law enforcement agencies in any of the following capacities?

a. Investigation of crimes Yes No

b. Participation in federal task force Yes No

c. Screening of selected cases Yes No

d. Participation in enforcement/

operational planning Yes No

e. Other Yes No

SECTION 4 – GANG INFORMATION

20. Do your gangs finance themselves through any of the following sources?

a. Weapons trafficking Yes No

b. Drug trafficking Yes No c. Street-level drug sales Yes No d. Human trafficking Yes No e. Gambling Yes No f. Gang members maintain

legitimate employment and pay

dues to the gang Yes No

g. Prostitution Yes No

h. Sales of forged identity documents Yes No

i. Economic crimes (e.g. credit card

theft, forged checks, mortgage fraud) Yes No

j. Pornography Yes No

k. Other Yes No

SECTION 5 – INTELLIGENCE

21. Does your department/unit track ‘gang-related’ or gang-motivated’ incidents, offenses, and/or arrests?

Yes If yes, please supply the total number of ‘gang-related’ and/or ‘gang-motivated’ arrests in each of the following categories over the most recent 12 month period available (please check the box(es) to indicate whether the counts refer to arrests that are gang-related, gang-motivated, or both)

	Related	Motivated	Both	Total No
a. Homicide
b. Other Violent Offenses
c. Property Offense
d. Narcotics
e. Economic Crimes
f. Misdemeanors (not included in above categories)

No

22. Does your unit monitor gang graffiti?

Yes No

23. Does your gang unit track individual gang members?

Yes No

If yes, how is it done? Mark (X) all that apply

Paper System

Computerized System

If computerized system, please specify

Gangnet

Rissnet

VGTOF

GRIP

CalGangs

System created within the department

Other

24. Does anyone routinely audit your gang databases to remove?

a. Deceased members Yes No

b. Incarcerated members Yes No

c. Inactive members Yes No

25. Does your gang unit employ any of the following technologies as part of gang investigation?

a. Monitoring internet sites

(e.g., MySpace) Yes No

b. Closed circuit cameras located in

gang neighborhood Yes No

c. GPS tracking devices Yes No

d. Crime analysis software (e.g.,

Linkage analysis, GIS) Yes No

e. Electronic listening devices Yes No

f. Other Yes No

26a. Does your department share criminal intelligence information gathered by the gang unit with any of the following groups?

a. Command staff within

my department Yes No

b. Other units/bureaus

within my department Yes No

c. Neighboring law

enforcement agencies Yes No

d. Other criminal justice

agencies (e.g., courts,

prosecutors) Yes No

26b. Does your department share non-intelligence information gathered by the gang unit with any of the following groups?

a. Command staff within

my department Yes No

b. Other units/bureaus

within my department Yes No

c. Neighboring law

enforcement agencies Yes No

d. Other criminal justice

agencies (e.g., courts,

prosecutors) Yes No

e. Non-criminal justice

agencies Yes No

f. Media outlets Yes No

g. The general public Yes No

27. How much of your gang unit activity is spent on investigating the following types of crimes.

Mark (X) on box for each crime type?

	None	<25%	26-50%	51-75%	>76%
a. Serious violent felonies
b. Economic crimes
c. Prostitution
d. Narcotics
e. Graffiti
f. Immigration

28. Does your gang submit records to the NCIC Violent Gang and Terrorist Organization File (VGTOF)?

Yes If yes, enter the number of submissions during the past month

No

29. Does your gang unit run queries on the NCIC Violent Gang and Terrorist Organization File (VGTOF)?

Yes If yes, enter the number of queries during the past month

No

SECTION 6 – PREVENTION/INTERVENTION

30. Does your gang unit, as part of its official responsibility, participate in formalized programs aimed at preventing youth involvement in gangs? This does not include on-the-street contacts aimed at preventing gang involvement?

Yes

If yes, do you include ex-gang members in your prevention programs?

Yes No

No

31. Does your gang unit participate in the following activities?

a. Prevention activities with youth

not involved in gangs Yes No

b. Prevention activities with gang-

involved youth Yes No

c. Instructing G.R.E.A.T. or other

gang prevention programs Yes No

d. Providing gang prevention

literature to community members,

families, youth, etc Yes No

e. Prevention activities with faith-

based organizations Yes No

f. Other Yes No

Return Instructions

To return via fax:

ATTN: BJS Census of Law Enforcement Gang Units

(330) 672-4711

To return via U.S. Mail or commercial carrier:

BJS Census of Law Enforcement Gang Units

Institute for the Study and Prevention of Violence

Kent State University

230 Cartwright Hall

Kent, OH 44242

To return via e-mail:

Completed forms may be scanned into an Adobe Acrobat file and e-mailed to:

[email protected]

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