Crips & Cops: A Social Network Analysis of Gang Member and Law Enforcement Officer Interactions

• In Event: Understanding the Complex World of Gangs (Eurogang Panel)

Abstract

This study examines the potential impact of a police officer’s placement in a gang intelligence-based social network to better understand how an officer's position in the network could influence the acquisition of gang intelligence. We create this intelligence-based network from the social interactions between police officer’s and gang members, documented through field interview (FI) cards collected from the Hollenbeck Community Policing Area of the Los Angeles Police Department from 2009 – 2012. We hypothesize that trust between an officer and a gang member can be established through repeated interactions facilitating the sharing of knowledge between the two groups (gang members and police). Following Granovetter’s (1973) argument about the strength of weak ties, officers’ connections to well-connected gang members should be able to help in bridging information gaps between gang members and officers. Furthermore, if particular officers are removed from the network (i.e., reassignment, retirement, etc.) there may be substantial consequences on a departmental knowledge of gang activity and gang members. This study takes the first steps at considering how the role of law enforcement officers in a broader gang-involved network.

Authors

• Shannon Reid, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

• Matthew Valasik, Louisiana State University