NCJ Number
173169
Journal
Policing Volume: 21 Issue: 1 Dated: 1998 Pages: 38-53
Date Published
1998
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This article presents the evaluation methodology and findings for a program ("Operation Roundup") designed to curtail gang violence in Santa Ana, Calif.
Abstract
A four-phase plan of action was designed to permanently curtail the activities of the Sixth Street Gang and essentially return the community to its citizens. Targeting both the geographic area as well as individual gang members, the goal of phase one was to arrest as many gang members as possible. Phase two involved a multi-agency approach that used high visibility and undercover operations to target and arrest gang members not caught in phase one. The third phase focused on the community by renovating the neighborhood, uniting and educating the community members, and providing alternative programs for youth at risk. The final component of the program was developed to ensure the continued momentum of the earlier phases. The evaluation used a one group, pretest/post-test, quasi-experimental design; it compared pretest and post-test attitudes concerning fear of crime, attitudes toward the police, feelings about the neighborhood, and the perceptions about crime in the community. Evaluation findings show that survey participants felt safer being out alone at night after the arrest sweep and had improved attitudes toward their neighborhood. Resident respondents remained worried about being burglarized, however. The authors suggest that without citizens knowing how much actual crime was reduced in their neighborhood and without empirical proof that the Sixth Street Gang would not soon return, the perception of how big a problem certain crimes were in the community remained unchanged. 4 tables and 35 references