NCJ Number
149166
Date Published
1992
Length
48 pages
Annotation
Cognizant of the increasing propensity of street gangs to engage in violence and drug trafficking, the Illinois State Police tasked a group of intelligence collection agents and analysts to determine how efforts to monitor and control street gangs could be expanded; a street gang questionnaire was developed to gauge the extent and locality of street gangs and the familiarity of law enforcement agencies with the gang problem.
Abstract
The questionnaire contained 21 gang-related questions and was sent to 102 sheriff and 290 municipal police departments statewide between October and December 1991. Of the 392 questionnaires, 57 sheriff departments (56 percent) and 281 municipal police departments (97 percent) responded. Results showed that almost 60 percent of respondents had no officers assigned to the gang issue. Nearly half said they had encountered street gang problems with both adults and juveniles during the past year, but most encounters were with juveniles. About 75 percent said an Illinois State Police seminar dealing with street gangs would be beneficial. About one-third indicated they received calls from school districts requesting law enforcement assistance with gang-related activities. Gang recruitment in and around schools and an increase in the number of students victimized by gangs were significant problems. About 25 percent of respondents had a gang reporting system, but only half of these systems were automated. Gang activities were concentrated in the northern part of the State, although 32 counties reported some gang presence. Appendixes contain the street gang questionnaire; street gang definitions; and supplemental information on gang activity in schools, gang criminal activity, and gang-related drug activity. 18 tables