DOI: 10.3886/icpsr06237
title: National Assessment Survey of Law Enforcement Anti-Gang Information Resources, 1990-1991
title: Archival Version

description: This study constituted a systematic national assessment of
 local law enforcement perceptions of the distribution of gang and
 gang-like problems in large cities in the United States, law
 enforcement reactions to gangs, and their policies toward gang
 problems. One purpose of the study was to examine changes in law
 enforcement perceptions of the U.S. gang problem that have occurred
 since NATIONAL YOUTH GANG INTERVENTION AND SUPPRESSION SURVEY,
 1980-1987 (ICPSR 9792) was undertaken. The overall goal was to obtain
 as "conservative" as possible an estimate of the magnitude of the
 gang problem in the United States as reflected by the official
 reaction, record-keeping, and reporting of local law enforcement
 agencies. The agencies were asked to refer the interviewer to the
 individual representative of the agency who could provide the most
 information about the agency's processing of information on gangs and
 other youth-based groups engaged in criminal activity. To obtain each
 law enforcement agency's official, not personal, perspective on gang
 problems, anonymity was intentionally avoided. Each respondent was
 first asked whether the respondent's agency officially identified a
 "gang problem" within their jurisdiction. Gangs were defined for
 this study as groups involving youths engaging in criminal activity.
 Respondents were then asked if their department officially recognized
 the presence of other kinds of organized groups that engaged in
 criminal activity and involved youths and that might be identified by
 their department as crews, posses, or some other designation. Based on
 affirmative answers to questions on the officially recognized presence
 of gangs and the kinds of record-keeping employed by their
 departments, agencies were sent customized questionnaire packets
 asking for specifics on only those aspects of the gang problem that
 their representative had reported the agency kept information on.
 Variables include city name, state, ZIP code, whether the city
 participated in National Youth Gang Intervention and Suppression
 Survey, 1980-1987, and, if so, if the city reported a gang problem.
 Data on gangs include the number of homicides and other violent,
 property, drug-related, and vice offenses attributed to youth gangs
 and female gangs, total number of gang incidents, gangs, gang members,
 female gang members, and gangs comprised only of females for 1991,
 number of juvenile gang-related incidents and adult gang-related
 incidents in 1991, number of drive-by shootings involving gang members
 or female gang members in 1991, and numbers or percent estimates of
 gang members by ethnic groups for 1990 and 1991. Respondents also
 indicated whether various strategies for combating gang problems had
 been attempted by the department, and if so, how effective each of the
crime prevention measures were.
description: This study constituted a systematic national
 assessment of local law enforcement perceptions of the distribution of
 gang and gang-like problems in large cities in the United States, law
 enforcement reactions to gangs, and their policies toward gang
 problems. Specifically, this study had seven goals: (1) to generate an
 updated national profile of the geographic distribution of gang
 problems in large cities as measured by official reaction by local law
 enforcement agencies, (2) to examine changes in law enforcement
 perceptions of the U.S. gang problem that have occurred since NATIONAL
 YOUTH GANG INTERVENTION AND SUPPRESSION SURVEY, 1980-1987 (ICPSR 9792)
 was undertaken, and, to the extent possible, earlier national surveys,
 (3) to evaluate the quality of information resources used by law
 enforcement in assessing the scope of local gang problems, (4) to
 present the information available on age, gender, race, and ethnicity
 of gang members as perceived in law enforcement records, (5) to
 examine the degree to which law enforcement responses to the gang
 problem are institutionalized at the local level, (6) to assess what
 networks exist on local and national levels that enhance or have the
 potential for enhancing the distribution and sharing of accurate
 information on the scope of gang problems at local and national
 levels, and (7) to report the application and perceived effectiveness
 of selected anti-gang response strategies by local law enforcement
 agencies. The overall goal was to obtain as "conservative" as
 possible an estimate of the magnitude of the gang problem in the
 United States as reflected by the official reaction, record-keeping,
and reporting of local law enforcement agencies.
description: For each police department in the survey, the
 address of the senior official, usually a chief of police or police
 commissioner, was obtained. Each received a letter from the project's
 principal investigator and a letter from the federal funding agency
 describing the project and encouraging participation. Each
 administrator was asked to refer the interviewer to the individual
 representative of the agency who could provide the most information
 about the agency's processing of information on gangs and other
 youth-based groups engaged in criminal activity. To obtain the law
 enforcement agency's official, not personal, perspective on gang
 problems, anonymity was intentionally avoided. Respondents were
 instructed that the names of contacts within each police department
 would be listed in technical reports produced for dissemination by the
 funding agency. Following the methodology of all previous
 national-level surveys of gang problems, the respondent was first
 asked whether the respondent's agency officially identified a "gang
 problem" within their jurisdiction. This question created a de facto
 three-component limitation on how gangs were defined for this study:
 gangs (1) are groups, (2) involve youths, and (3) engage in criminal
 activity. Respondents were clearly informed that the study excluded
 motorcycle gangs, hate groups, prison gangs, and organized crime
 groups. Beyond these intentional exclusions, this approach allowed the
 study to encompass differences in local definitions of what is
 regarded as a "gang." Following the specific question about official
 recognition of the presence of gangs, respondents were asked if their
 department officially recognized the presence of other kinds of
 organized groups that engaged in criminal activity and involved youths
 and that might be identified by their department identified as crews,
 posses, or some other designation. Respondents whose answers were
 negative to both of these questions were thanked for their time and
 asked no further questions. Respondents whose answers were affirmative
 to either of the above questions were asked a sequence of other
 questions on record-keeping procedures to determine their eligibility
 for participation in other parts of the survey. The departmental
 administrator for each of the respondents was sent a letter of
 appreciation and a computer printout confirming the identity of the
 gang information contact for their department and the official
 responses. All administrators and respondents were invited to contact
 the project with updated information if their departmental status
 changed. Based on their affirmative answers to questions on the
 officially recognized presence of gangs and the kinds of
 record-keeping employed by their departments, respondents were sent
 customized questionnaire packets and a separate letter by overnight
 registered mail reasserting the importance of the study and the need
 for a cooperative response. Departments were asked for specifics on
 only those aspects of the gang problem that their representative had
 reported the agency kept information on. All departments indicating
 the officially recognized presence of a gang problem (regardless of
 reported record-keeping procedures) were asked to complete a
 definitional questionnaire and a strategy effectiveness
questionnaire.
description: Geographic identifiers include city name, state,
 and ZIP code. Information is also provided about whether the city
 participated in the National Youth Gang Intervention and Suppression
 Survey, 1980-1987, and if so, if the city reported a gang problem.
 Data on gangs include whether the department reported a gang or
 gang-like problem or the presence of crews or posses, the number of
 homicides and other violent, property, drug-related, and vice offenses
 attributed to youth gangs and female gangs, total number of gang
 incidents, total number of gangs, gang members, female gang members,
 and gangs comprised only of females for 1991, number of juvenile
 gang-related incidents and adult gang-related incidents in 1991,
 number of drive-by shootings involving gang members or female gang
 members in 1991, and numbers or percent estimates of gang members by
 ethnic groups for 1990 and 1991, including White, Black
 (African-American, Jamaican, Other), Hispanic (Mexican-American,
 Puerto-Rican, Salvadoran, Other), Asian (Vietnamese, Chinese,
 Filipino, Other), or other. Each department's definition of a gang was
 provided through responses to the 25-item definitional questionnaire.
 Respondents also indicated whether any of 22 different strategies for
 combating gang problems had been attempted by the department and, if
so, how effective each of the crime prevention measures were.
description: Response Rates: All of the law enforcement agencies selected for
the study were contacted.
description: Presence of Common Scales: None.
description: All cities in the United States with 1990 Bureau of the
 Census projected populations over 200,000, 43 smaller cities that had
 been included in NATIONAL YOUTH GANG INTERVENTION AND SUPPRESSION
 SURVEY, 1980-1987 (ICPSR 9792), and Shreveport, LA, Jackson, MS, and
Mobile, AL.
description: Datasets: 
DS0: Study-Level Files
DS1: Data File
DS2: SAS Data Definition Statements
DS3: Data Collection Instrument in PDF Format
description: Police departments in United States cities with
populations near 200,000 and above.
description: (1) The data collection instrument is provided as an
 electronic image file in Portable Document File (PDF) format. The PDF
 format was developed by Adobe Systems Incorporated and can be accessed
 using the Adobe Reader. Information on how to obtain a copy of the
 Adobe Reader is provided in the README file on the diskette version of
 this study and through the NACJD Web Pages on the Internet. The data
 collection instrument is also available in hardcopy form upon request
 from ICPSR. (2) Eleven counties provided information to the 1992 gang
 survey. The county list was selected from the list of counties
 contacted in the National Youth Gang Intervention and Suppression
 Survey, 1980-1987. However, the county data are not included in this
data collection.