Reference no: EM132290602

Reply to post 1 & 2 with 250 words each.

Post 1

1. Discuss analysis and crime investigative methods that may be used identifying gangs and/or gang activities.

According to our lesson this week, there are four commonly used methodologies used to identify gang presence and they are event flow, association analysis, commodity flow analysis, and crime mapping (APUS, 2019). Each of these work independently or in conjunction with other law enforcement efforts such as surveillance, informants, and field interviews.

Of course there are the more traditional methods of identifying gang(s) activity based on the colors worn on items of clothing, stacking (hand signals), and graffiti (tagging). Many law enforcement agencies get first-hand knowledge of gang operations while working in the inner cities.

Majority of our inner cities have gang activity that flourishes in the streets. For example, during my career while assigned as a USAF recruiter (1999-2003) in San Diego, CA, I interacted with numerous young people that were affiliated with street gangs (they were all disqualified for service in the USAF). The neighborhoods were all tagged with their claim to the local turf. Unfortunately, my recruiting office was right in the location of a turf war and I observed some crazy events that occurred.

Little did I know at the time, these were some of the most notorious gangs in SoCal such as the Sky Line Pirus, Lincoln Park Bloods, and OTNC (Mexican Mafia) which were tied to the Tijuana Cartels. Of course, this was just about the time when gang activity peaked across the U.S. It's just kind of surreal for me to be reading about their exploits in this week's reading assignments.

2. Find one real life example of outlaw motorcycle gangs connection with street gangs using open sources online.

The outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs) are aligning themselves with rival street gangs for profitability and legitimate power struggle (ksat.com, 2018). They are allying with the Mexican drug cartels (NTOs) such as the Gulf States and Zetas to amplify the drug wars. They are utilizing social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to conduct gang activity. Also, social media has become their number one source for recruiting prospective members to the OMGs.

3. Using the knowledge you have gained from this course describe how intelligence analysis may be used by law enforcement to effectively prevent or reduce gang crime.

By using the intelligence cycle, intelligence-led policing, and problem oriented policing tactics can be very effective in dampening gang related activities. These law enforcement techniques used in conjunction with confidential informants (CIs) and surveillance can lead to a drop in gang activity at the street level.

Furthermore, by establishing community policing techniques such as foot patrols could also enhance police presence in many gang infested areas which could directly diminish gang activities. Moreover, working collaboratively with federal agencies and utilizing assets such as fusion centers will help local law enforcement to deter local gang activity. In the end, the relationship between local law enforcement and the gangs at large will ultimately determine whether gang activities will deescalate or escalate due to tensions.

Post 2

1. Discuss analysis and crime investigative methods that may be used identifying gangs and/or gang activities.

One of the main topics of discussion for week two during this course was the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and how it can be applied to criminal analysis for law enforcement. GIS solutions can be used to document and track criminal activity within a city (Block, 2000, p373). In the article written by Richard Block, he highlighted gang motivated incidents taking place in Chicago by the Black Gangster Disciples Nation (BGDN).

Law enforcement officials documented 5,321 incidents and logged them into mapping databases for visual representation (Block, 2000, p373). Doing so helped police view overall patterns and variations of intensity of criminal behavior.

This helped with the discovery of where BGDN was most active and that they were also a widely distributed gang within the Chicago area. Law enforcement officials were also able to map out territories of high profile gangs and their areas of conflict (Block, 2000, p374). Using GIS solutions as a crime investigative method is easily updated and not very labor intensive (Block, 2000, p382). It provides indications of areas to target for crime reduction and prevention while being cheap and user friendly.

2. Find one real life example of outlaw motorcycle gangs connection with street gangs using open sources online.

I found an article concerning the Hells Angels and local street gangs in London (Carruthers, Sims, & Richmond, 2012). The only connection between the two was their illicit business interests. There was a time where the Angels relied on street gangs to work for them in the drug business.

In 2012, those street gangs shifted the power and took over the drug trade causing a rift. The two seem to have a hard time coexisting as each seem to be encroaching on each other's territory. Both are involved in the drug trade and carry firearms. It may seem like a good thing at first.

Let them tear each other apart and hope it's a self-licking ice cream cone. The problem is the community ultimately pays for this. Violence, shooting fires and more. Whether it's from collateral damage or injury and death to innocent bystanders, people of the community are ultimately caught in the middle of a war.

3. Using the knowledge you have gained from this course describe how intelligence analysis may be used by law enforcement to effectively prevent or reduce gang crime.

Utilizing the GIS solutions, mentioned in the first question and answer, is a major player in the field of intelligence analysis. I found this type of analysis very helpful when hunting bad guys during my overseas deployments. I also remember when there were faults or issues with our mapping and bad guys would be located on terrorist island. For those of you who have been in this situation, remember? - (MGRS: 31N AA 66021 00000) That place must be packed full of bad dudes.

Biometric technology is an advancing technology assisting law enforcement officials, especially Customs and Border Patrol. Agents are able to check a person's information against watchlists for criminal or immigration violations (Bugaj, 2014, p411). This helps verify a person's identity and prevent fraudulent documentation. When this information gathered properly and shared amongst partnered nations, everyone benefits.

For the safety of everyone, law enforcement officials are out to "strive to preemptively prevent criminals from entering their borders" and remove those that are illegally operating within (Bugaj, 2014, p424). This type of technology should be more readily available to all police departments.