Introduction:

General gang identification criteria may vary from state to state, and can even vary from department to department. Knowing the criteria that is outlined for YOUR state and/or department is important to understand, as some of these points of information are already being captured in intelligence databases, or there may be a mandate towards specific indicators. To add complexity, information is being gathered from one contact, or multiple contacts, at different times and from different locations, thus making connecting the dots a bit more difficult on a case by case basis.  This leads to the basic question of… “Does the individual have at least one or more criteria that qualifies them?”, and if so, that information needs to be documented. As you begin to effectively document this trail of “triggers”, the criteria captured through time and different incidents can then be added together to possibly classify a suspected individual into a “documented” gang member.

Are there some common criteria that most departments use? This article will outline some of the most commonly used criteria. 

• Self-admission of membership in a gang (may include the use of Internet or other electronic format or medium to post photographs or other documentation identifying themselves as a member of a gang)
• Self-admission of membership in a judicial proceeding  (This is the strongest evidence of gang membership.)
• Arrested for offenses consistent with usual gang activity
• Identified as a gang member by a reliable source/informant (also can be identified by an untested source)
• Associates with already documented gang member
• Visits documented gang member in a confined or committed to a penal institution
• Seen displaying or using symbols, hand signs or gang dress
• Frequents documented gang areas
• Known to have gang tattoos, marks 
• Documented use of internet or technology to recruit new gang members

It is important to note that when using these criteria, the incidents that these criteria are tied to, are clearly related to a specific individual and/or gang. 

Take into consideration that some criteria items listed above are not sufficient on their own to qualify a suspected subject as a gang member, but a combination of two or more of these criteria can be helpful to support a subject’s gang membership. In the case of an already documented gang member, additional documented criteria can maintain a subject’s current gang membership status.

Regardless of the status of gang membership, documenting and identifying criteria per incident is essential and needed when saving intelligence into a database. Be as specific as possible and list all of the identifying criteria.  The criteria should be explained in as much detail as possible. These same minor details can help in future identification of gang member or membership status in a court proceeding. 

GangScope™ is a gang intelligence database that helps capture, analyze, search and share intelligence on gangs, gang members, and more. GangScope acts as a first-tier, internal database that manages data on known and suspected gang members. Intelligence is collected per incident and includes qualifiers, associates, acquaintances (points of contact), witnesses, images, and documents. GangScope’s collection of detailed information aids in investigations, analysis and ultimately solving crime. The software complies with standards outlined by federal (28 CFR) policies. While complying with standards, GangScope™ boasts usability through simple yet extensive data mining via search, reports, overviews, and watches.

The overall goal of GangScope™ is to provide law enforcement personnel/ crime analyst/ correctional officers/prosecutors with maximum data through a friendly user interface while remaining cost-effective.

To learn more or to schedule a full demo of our system – request a demo here. We would welcome the opportunity to show you how Gangscope can help your department organize and store your data in a secure and compliant way.

The GangScope Team