Accumulating a solid knowledge base is a crucial first step in the long and perhaps unending process of treating the street gang's underlying causal conditions. There is no way of knowing for sure. Because there is no single, universally accepted definition, there is no single, universally accepted reliable estimate. And as we have already discussed, the typical organization defines and counts gangs to further its own mission, thereby neglecting in many instances the true nature of the problem. Social service agencies define and count for the purpose of remedial intervention.
Police agencies define and count for the purpose of deterring gang crime.
Definitions utilized by social service agencies tend to be different than those utilized by police agencies. Moreover, definitions from police agency to police agency and from social service agency to social service agency vary according to many factors. Further compounding the problem of counting according to a given definition is the widespread practice of a single agency having more than one definition of gang, each with its own purpose. In any event, there are more important things to know about gangs and gang members than how many there are. The GCPC urges concerned citizens and organizations to spend less time trying to count and more time studying and responding to the anti-social, illegal, and destructive activities of gang members.