Regional differences in gang member identification methods among law enforcement jurisdictions in the United States

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare gang member identification methods across regions in the United States as reported by law enforcement.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected through surveys with various law enforcement jurisdictions in both urban and rural communities across the United States. Methods of gang member identification were compared across the United States. Region through the use of Ordinal Logistic Regression and Multiple Imputation.

Findings

The results reveal that there are systematic variations in methods of gang member identification across regions in the United States. Specifically, the West is significantly more likely to identify gang members through associations or arrests with known gang members, symbols and self-nomination compared to other regions. The South, Northeast and Midwest regions are significantly more likely to identify gang members through a reliable informant compared to the West.

Originality/value

Research has not compared gang member identification methods across region in the United States or examined how variations in gang member identification methods potentially impact the accuracy of reported gang problems and prevalence.

Citation

Scott, D. (2020), "Regional differences in gang member identification methods among law enforcement jurisdictions in the United States", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 43 No. 5, pp. 723-740. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-01-2020-0005