Hearings in October 1980 into gang violence revealed that this violence has an impact on the entire County of Los Angeles and victimizes innocent, non-gang citizens. The Board of Supervisors subsequently approved the development and implementation of the Probation Department Specialized Gang Supervision Program to offer protection to the citizens of the county, to provide a more even administration of justice, to rehabilitate offenders, and to reduce gang violence with a primary emphasis on preventing gang-related homicides. Program objectives focus on observance, control, and prompt handling of gang members on active probation. The program consists of 5 units, each supervising up to 400 gang-oriented offenders. The program demands that probation officers be visible and active in dealing with their charges. Specialized training for selected program volunteers covers conversational Spanish, drug abuse, penal code review, and more. Evaluation is ongoing. In order for the program to continue and be successful, the department must be able to plan with assurance of a certain level of funding.