Gang-Related Violent Crime Dips 2.4% in O.C.

Reported gang-related crime declined slightly in Orange County from 1994 to 1995, with property crimes and vandalism among the biggest drops, according to the most detailed statistical portrait of gang activity ever attempted.

But, despite an overall 2.4% decrease in violent crime, home invasion robberies, shooting into cars and “terroristic” threats showed marked increases, according to the report released Friday.

The Gang Incident Tracking System report found that overall gang crime fell 6%; property crimes, 10.8%; and other crimes, such as graffiti, 7.6%. The tracking system is a collaborative effort among UC Irvine researchers and county law enforcement agencies to scientifically determine the effectiveness of gang-abatement programs.

Police attributed the drop to coordinated, aggressive crackdowns on the most hard-core gang members in a number of cities.

But some social service workers and researchers said the drop in gang-related crime may also be due to a temporary decline in the number of adolescents in the most crime-prone years, and increasing reluctance of people to report gang crimes for fear of retaliation.

Either way, law enforcement officials were cautiously optimistic about the findings.

“We think if you are in a war and win a little skirmish, it’s no time to declare victory and sit down,” said Chief James Cook of the Westminster Police Department, which has taken a leading role in developing the project.

The heart of the tracking system is a computer database funded through federal grants and fed by police from every city in the county as well as the Sheriff’s Department. Officers enter information from reported crimes where they suspect--by observation, investigation or informants--that gang members or associates were involved.

Bryan Vila, a UCI criminologist directing the program, said it was too soon to declare the decline a trend. He said researchers need to analyze 1996 data, which will be completed by mid-summer, and even then it may take a few more years of decreases before it can be established that gang crime truly is on the wane.

Katie Parsons, a graduate student serving as project manager, also conceded the data could be skewed by officers inconsistently entering information from their reports or by officials mislabeling people as gang members.

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A number of activists have criticized police for too quickly classifying people as “gang-affiliated” based on their clothing and skin color.

Parsons said she is conducting research, which includes riding along with officers, to help determine the extent of any mislabeling or inaccurate reporting.

Nevertheless, Parsons said the report does provide the best possible information in the absence of any other comprehensive reports.

“The police chiefs use [the system] as only a snapshot of gang crimes in Orange County. They realize it’s not a perfect picture or a complete picture but it’s better than no information,” she said.

The overall drop reported by the tracking system coincides with a district attorney’s office report in February that showed gang homicides in 1996 dropped 40% from the previous year, to a five-year low.

But the report Friday sketches a far more detailed picture of gang activity--tracking 21 crime categories--in the one year since the tracking system began operating in 1994.

Among the biggest statistical decreases: assault on a police officer (45.5%); sexual assault--based on a drop from 22 to 10 incidents--(54.6%); arson--based on a drop from 7 to 4 incidents--(42.9%); auto theft (28.8%), and graffiti (19.8%).

The largest increases were seen in home invasion robberies, which doubled from 21 to 42 incidents; terrorist threats (72.2%) and shooting into an uninhabited vehicle (76%).

In two-thirds of the incidents reported, such factors as rivalry, retaliation, extortion and territorial disputes accounted for the motive in nearly half of the crimes. Economic gain was the motivating factor in just over a third of the crimes, according to the report.

The report also said slightly more adults than juveniles are involved in gang crimes.

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Law enforcement officials were at a loss to explain why crime increased in those areas, but suggested they would review the tactics with a view to combating those crimes better.

“Crime doesn’t continue on the same path forever. New types of crimes and new ways of doing things are constantly entering the world and what’s important is that you keep abreast of those changes,” Santa Ana Police Chief Paul Walters said.

The major anti-gang initiative underway is the Tri-Agency Resources Gang Enforcement Team, or TARGET. It combines officers from seven police departments, the probation department, and prosecutors to root out the most hard-core gang members in a community.

In Santa Ana, Capt. Dan McCoy said he believes that city’s efforts, modeled on TARGET, have helped reduce gang homicides from 46 in 1995 to 21 in 1996. Through March, he said, there had been just a single reported gang-related homicide.

“There’s no question this TARGET model has been effective,” he said.

John Brewster, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Ana, commended police for their work, but suggested other factors, such as under-reporting, should be considered in looking at the report.

“I think community policing has done an excellent job, but I think there is a tremendous reluctance on the part of people, especially undocumented folks, to report crimes. And I think a number of undocumented people are victims of those crimes,” he said.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Gang Crime Ebbs

Gang-related crimes in Orange County declined in 1995, most notably those against property:

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1994 1995 Violent crimes 1,635 1,596 Property crimes 729 650 Other crimes* 1,254 1,159

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* Includes drug sales, graffiti and weapons violations

Source: UCI Focused Research Group on Gangs

1995 Crimes

Violent: 47%

Property: 19

Other*: 34

* Includes drug sales, graffiti and weapons violations

Gang Crime Remains Violent

While reported gang crime declined in 1995, most instances were violent attacks on people, which was also the case the previous year:

1994-95 Comparison

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Violent Crime 1994 1995 % Change Homicide/manslaughter 67 66 -2 Sexual assault 22 10 -55 Robbery 521 426 -18 Home invasion robbery 21 42 +100 Felony assault 544 583 +7 Assault/battery on police 33 18 -46 Misdemeanor assault/battery 179 159 -11 Carjacking 49 47 -4 Threats of terror 36 62 72 Extortion 9 8 -11 Intimidating witness 12 11 -8 Kidnapping 9 4 -56 Shooting into inhabited dwelling 108 116 +7 Shooting into uninhabited vehicle 25 44 +76 Total Violent Crime 1,635 1,596 -2 Property Crime Arson 7 4 -43 Auto theft 170 121 -29 Burglary 318 297 -7 Vandalism 234 228 -3 Total Property Crime 729 650 -11 Other Crime Drug sales 94 114 +21 Graffiti 616 494 -20 Weapons law 544 551 +1 Total Other Crime 1,254 1,159 -8 TOTAL ALL CRIMES 3,618 3,405 -6

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Source: UCI Focused Research Group on Gangs