FIRST OFF . . .

Four correspondents and six crews from CBS’ “48 Hours” will take to the streets of Los Angeles on Friday and Saturday, probing the city’s youth gang problems for an hourlong documentary slated to air June 30. Senior producer Steve Glaubman said “48 Hours” teams will follow two gangs for the two days; others will join Los Angeles police on their beats, a parole officer and a local minister, as well as visiting McNair Elementary School in Compton and David Starr Jordan High in Watts. Despite the risks, Glaubman said the crews opted against wearing bullet-proof vests because it might spoil their rapport with the gang members. “We’ve spent time with these people--familiarity makes things less scary,” he said.