based on the targeted gang set. No program imported from another agency will prove effective without modification. Each gang set has a different level of member dedication based on how strongly members have bought into the belief system that provides the basis for the gang. No two criminal street gangs commit exactly the same crimes. Police need to make cases based on the offenses in their jurisdiction and not try to follow another agency’s success story too closely. Police administrators must keep in mind that the experts on area gangs are the uniform officers and detectives who deal with them on a day-to-day basis. To develop an effective plan, the intelligence possessed by departmental personnel represents a vital component. To learn how to apply the information already in their possession, managers need to study the psychology behind gang membership. Officers then should review a number of different successful programs to gain ideas on what might work for them.
The first step in planning a response is to determine if there is a problem. A group of young people who decide to call themselves a gang and then engage in disruptive behavior in the classroom, but stop short of criminal activity, are not yet a police problem. Due to recent events around the country, however, some school officials may panic and request police intervention. The law enforcement agency must identify what they are dealing with.
One popular method employed by many agencies is the SARA technique: scanning, analysis, response, and assessment. After identifying the problem (scanning), the planners must decide what combination of ideas will be most effective (analysis). Implementation of the plan follows (response). The last step (assessment) is not designed to be the final ingredient in the plan. The planners must review what approaches were used, what worked, what did not work, and then decide if the problem was re-solved. If the problem was not resolved, the planners go back to the original step and start over. Agencies can complete this process as many times as necessary until the gang ceases to be a problem.

In addition to law enforcement intervention, the entire social structure must deal with the underlying issues. A working partnership must form to handle the problems faced by the youthful offenders who make up the gang. Many informational sources exist that can provide guidance on where and how to deal with the criminal street gang member. The working group would do well to investigate as many sources as possible, including the Internet, government reports, news stories, and other publications. A number of training programs geared to meet the needs of different audiences are available. Funding sources can sometimes be found to provide training for educators and officers. For example, Indiana schools have a small amount budgeted for training to help stop school violence, and some law enforcement grants provide training for officers involved with gang investigations.

CONCLUSION

No city, town, or neighborhood is totally immune from the threat of gangs. The first step in prevention is for those in authority to study the underlying reasons for gang formation—structure, nurturing, need to belong, economic opportunity, and excitement. If communities meet these needs, gangs will have a hard time establishing a foothold. However, once gang involvement is sus-pected, authorities must take time to study the situation to determine the extent and type of problem they need to deal with. A variety of social and law enforcement agencies need to become involved in the discussion process from the beginning. Police and community members need to arrive at a consensus of how serious the gang problem is and then work together to combat any criminal activity.

The police must act as the point group to bring an operating criminal street gang under control. Officers must target the gang in a variety of ways, including the criminal activities normally associated with the gang. Less apparent, but just as important, is the need to deal with other criminal and antisocial actions on the part of gang members. Officers also should develop