How Law Enforcement Respond To Gangs
Research Paper
SOC 454-002
Law Enforcement and Society
November 12, 2013
How does Law Enforcement respond to gangs?
Introduction Law enforcement agencies have a variety of tasks at hand that they have to perform; protecting, serving and problem solving are just a few. This research paper will look into how law enforcement responds to gangs, the background on police and gang relationships, and why the creation of gang police units. Multiple studies will be used to show the process some police gang units use in order to address the gangs in their location, other studies will be used to give background and research to show what has and has not worked in the past and present.
Summarize …show more content…
Such is seen in researchers who believe in the moral panic perspective about society and police work, for example “At least two gang researchers.. have found evidence that the police have become actively involved in the social construction of gang problems at local level,” (Katz, 2001). Katz goes on to report that these researchers found that there were no serious threats of gang problems in the communities they researched, yet the accusations were coming from the communities’ police departments established these false problems creating these units to “.. campaign for federal dollars.” (Katz, 2001). Katz states that these researchers had failed in his eyes to understand some other factors that may have come into play in order to create these units; therefore questioning their findings and interpretations. He states that there needs to be more research that looks at information that comes from “sovereigns and police organizations” …show more content…
Taken from the research studied; LEAs believe that “ ..consolidation of gang control functions allows police organizations to distribute gang related work orderly and rationally, which better enables police departments to develop and coordinate their response to community gang policing,” (Katz, 2001). Another reason as to why gang units are in existence would be due to the rapid growth and danger that comes along with gangs in the United States. As Doctor Scott Decker states in his book, Strategies to Address Gang Crime: A guidebook for local law enforcement, “There is also an increasing presence in the United States of gangs with national affiliations and international ties, such as Mara Salvatrucha (also known as MS-13) and increasing evidence that gangs have ties to organized crime families and even Islamic terrorist organizations,” (Decker, 2008). “Additionally, creation of specialized units served as a symbolic act, showing the community, potential offenders, and police officers that the police department was taking particular problems seriously” (Katz & Webb,
SOC 454-002
Law Enforcement and Society
November 12, 2013
How does Law Enforcement respond to gangs?
Introduction Law enforcement agencies have a variety of tasks at hand that they have to perform; protecting, serving and problem solving are just a few. This research paper will look into how law enforcement responds to gangs, the background on police and gang relationships, and why the creation of gang police units. Multiple studies will be used to show the process some police gang units use in order to address the gangs in their location, other studies will be used to give background and research to show what has and has not worked in the past and present.
Summarize …show more content…
Such is seen in researchers who believe in the moral panic perspective about society and police work, for example “At least two gang researchers.. have found evidence that the police have become actively involved in the social construction of gang problems at local level,” (Katz, 2001). Katz goes on to report that these researchers found that there were no serious threats of gang problems in the communities they researched, yet the accusations were coming from the communities’ police departments established these false problems creating these units to “.. campaign for federal dollars.” (Katz, 2001). Katz states that these researchers had failed in his eyes to understand some other factors that may have come into play in order to create these units; therefore questioning their findings and interpretations. He states that there needs to be more research that looks at information that comes from “sovereigns and police organizations” …show more content…
Taken from the research studied; LEAs believe that “ ..consolidation of gang control functions allows police organizations to distribute gang related work orderly and rationally, which better enables police departments to develop and coordinate their response to community gang policing,” (Katz, 2001). Another reason as to why gang units are in existence would be due to the rapid growth and danger that comes along with gangs in the United States. As Doctor Scott Decker states in his book, Strategies to Address Gang Crime: A guidebook for local law enforcement, “There is also an increasing presence in the United States of gangs with national affiliations and international ties, such as Mara Salvatrucha (also known as MS-13) and increasing evidence that gangs have ties to organized crime families and even Islamic terrorist organizations,” (Decker, 2008). “Additionally, creation of specialized units served as a symbolic act, showing the community, potential offenders, and police officers that the police department was taking particular problems seriously” (Katz & Webb,