NCJ Number
161845
Date Published
January 1997
Length
140 pages
Annotation
Intended primarily for prosecutors and law enforcement administrators, managers, and supervisors, this monograph provides guidance for the development or refinement of strategies to combat urban street gangs.
Abstract
The model programs presented in this monograph offer strategies largely based on the practical experiences of agencies that participated in a demonstration program funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance and designed to establish model approaches to prevent and suppress gang violence. The monograph offers a step-by-step guide for designing and implementing a program based on Model Strategies for Urban Street Gang Enforcement. It identifies and explores innovative methods of prosecuting gang members involved in criminal activities. Program examples and case studies from the seven demonstration sites illustrate how local objectives were met. The model is composed of six key elements. Planning and analysis involves performing groundwork to articulate the nature and scope of the community's gang problem as well as the development or improvement of a macro-level gang intelligence database, the establishment of realistic goals and objectives to counter gang problems, and the development of strategies to meet objectives. A second element of the model is a gang information and intelligence system, and a third element involves gang suppression operations and tactics, which use gang data to select enforcement strategies. A fourth element is interagency cooperation and collaboration with prosecutors' offices, probation and parole agencies, jails and courts, crime laboratories, and Federal agencies. Remaining elements of the model are legal strategies and evaluation to assess strategy development and success. 85 notes and appended 63-item annotated bibliography and a list of sources for additional information and technical assistance