NCJ Number
197478
Date Published
2001
Length
73 pages
Annotation
This report discusses the results of the 2001 Gang Survey of 429 agencies including police chiefs, school district police departments, sheriffs, district attorneys, criminal district attorneys, and county attorneys in Texas.
Abstract
This report begins with an overview, defining "gang" as being a group of three or more persons having a common identifying sign or symbol or an identifiable leadership who continuously or regularly associate in the commission of criminal activities. Four basic gang types are identified based on their criminal activity: delinquent youth gang, traditional turf-based gang, gain-oriented gang, and violent/hate gang. The overview also focuses on other common gang terms and groups, levels of gang involvement, signs of gang involvement, tracking members and offenses, and reporting about gangs. The reported results of the 2001 Gang Survey includes information on survey demographics, seriousness of the gang situation, number of gangs and gang members, types of gangs, gang demographics, offenses committed by gangs, weapons used by gangs, gang activity in schools, related groups and activities, sources of influence, security threat group influence, forms of influence, graffiti, tracking and record keeping, drive-by shootings, information sharing, gang task forces and dedicated gang units, and effective strategies for dealing with gangs. Appendices include a reprinting of gang-related statutes, the code creating the Texas Violent Gang Task Force, a copy of the survey instrument, tables illustrating the major topic areas, and the code creating the Attorney Generals' Gang Resource System.