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                            Library & Multimedia
 Policing Gangs in an Era of Community Policing (From Policing Gangs and Youth Violence, P 17-49, 2003, Scott H.
Decker, ed. -- See NCJ-201783)
NCJ Number
              201785

Author(s)
          Vincent J. Webb, Charles M. Katz
Date Published

January 2003
Length
              33 pages
Annotation
              This chapter examines the nature, characteristics, and scope of
police gang-control efforts through an exploration of police gang
units and their relationship to community policing.
Abstract
              The first section of the chapter discusses the establishment of
police gang units, along with the theoretical and policy
rationales for such units as well as explanations for their
growth. The chapter's second section outlines the functions of
gang units, including patterns of the specialization of their
functions. The third section argues that gang units are typically
loosely joined to the larger police organization; the  consequences of this for gang units and the police organization are discussed. The fourth section of the chapter considers the nature and functions of gang units in the context of the
requirements of community policing, with attention to the compatibility of gang units and community policing. The concluding section recommends ways to improve the performance of gang units through the application of contemporary models of community policing principles and practices. The authors recommend that before creating a gang unit, police agencies should determine the need for such a unit by examining the nature and extent of the gang problem in the agency's jurisdiction. This analysis will determine whether a gang unit is warranted, and if so, the functions of such a unit. Should a gang unit be established, the principles of community policing require that
the unit be integrated with core policing duties, including
patrol. Patrol officers' functions can yield valuable information
for the gang unit and the overall gang-control effort. The gang
unit, in turn, has much to contribute to the larger
organization's efforts to practice community-oriented policing,
since gang unit officers' knowledge of the distribution and
practices of local gangs is an essential component in the
scanning, analysis, and response stages of any problem solving
process related to gang control. 1 table, 1 figure, 3 notes, and
58 references
      
  
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Date Published: January 1, 2003
    
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      PatentsRelated Topics
        
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        Victims of gangs
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        Youth gangs



  
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