Discussion: Gang Databases

Week Four Discussion: Gang Databases

Hello Everyone, A gang database is an intelligence system that frequently stores information about known or suspected gang members electronically (Pittman, 2021).

How does law enforcement identify potential gang members in Clark County Nevada?

It was hard to find information about how gang members are identified in Las Vegas. We have what is called The Gang Vice Bureau and certain neighborhoods are assigned gang units that patrol that area. That is all I could find for Vegas, I assume they identify them like most places do, by the way they are dressed and the colors they are wearing. Another way would be the neighborhood itself, for instance, we have the 28th Street Gang. It is pretty self-explanatory where they are usually located. But the best way I would have to say is by their tattoos (e.g., Woods have a Woody Woodpecker tattoo).

Does law enforcement rely on a gang database?

Here in Vegas, yes, but not until the last few years. This is mostly because before now most of our gangs had originated in Los Angeles and a lot of gang identification had come from corresponding with their police departments (Dentzer, 2019). The other way is through the use of gang units here, they patrol certain neighborhoods in unmarked cars, and they get to know the neighborhood they are assigned to. They go door to door talking with people in their area developing repour by getting to know “who’s who”, in their section of the city. What are the pros and cons of using a gang database?

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), the system is not up to date. It also has many juveniles in it that have never been charged with any crimes, as well as it contains information that may not be correct, and the laws that pertain to how information is entered into the database vary from state to state (Teigen, 2020). Meaning some of the information may not be accurate or legally obtained, particularly when the information involves juveniles. One major pro for using a gang database is it is a fast, easy way to get information on a potential gang suspect or to know things like rivals between two gangs that can become dangerous and threatening to the community.

Should gang databases continue to be used to combat gang-related activities?

In my opinion, they would have to make a clean slate, restart an entirely new database with rules and/or laws for how the information is entered into the system. The way it is set up now there seems to be a lot of room for human error and bias. This only causes wrong information and could hurt the chances of solving a case. Without regulations on how information is entered into the system, It just seems to me that it can cause more harm than good with the way it is set up now.

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References

Dentzer, B. (2019, March 29). Bill would allow database of gang members in Nevada. In The Review-Journal. https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/2019- legislature/bill-would-allow-database-of-gang-members-in-nevada-1629654/

Howell, J. C., & Griffiths, E. (2018). Gangs in America’s communities (3rd ed.). (Ch. 10). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

Pittman, L. M. (2021). Constructing a compromise: The current state of gang database legislation and how to effectuate nationwide reform. https://ilr.law.uiowa.edu/print/volume-106-issue-3/constructing-a-compromise-the- current-state-of-gang-database-legislation-and-how-to-effectuate-nationwide-reform/

Teigen, A. (2020, December 20). The controversy over gang databases. https://guides.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/APA/blogpost

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