In early 1992 the Orange County Chiefs' and Sheriff's Association established GITS as part of a comprehensive effort to combat increases in gang-related violence. Its purpose was to provide a management research tool to facilitate strategic planning and resource allocation. This was done by establishing a centralized database to which local law enforcement agencies report gang-related crime. The information system also accurately identifies the extent of gang-related crime, establishes a baseline against which to identify future trends in gang-related crime, and identifies gang-related crime patterns. By the end of 1993 all law enforcement agencies in the county had adopted standardized reporting techniques and were reporting on gang- related crimes in their jurisdictions. As GITS becomes fully operational during 1996, it will provide a foundation for evaluating the effectiveness of community-based gang prevention and control strategies. Further, a comparison of the actual level of gang crime in the county with the level of public concern about gang crime could yield results that have significant policy implications. 58 references