Shortsighted agencies focused on the wrong things

Gangs are a thing.  They aren’t what you think though.  You certainly won’t solve any gang issues focusing on politics and ticket revenue.  

Sure there are “real” gangs and “fake” gangs but any gang regardless of official status is a real gang.  

Here’s the thing, gangs cross all age, racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and religious backgrounds.  They aren’t a specific race or financial status.  They are all very dangerous in certain circumstances.  

Here’s the other thing, if an agency isn’t paying attention they will be completely clueless when it comes to gang activity.  You can’t just send somebody to a class and magically they know about gangs.   Gangs are ever evolving, ever changing.  It takes special kind of people to work with the phenomenon known as gangs.  You have to be able to get out of your car and talk to and interact with all people everywhere.  You need to be approachable.  You need to understand how important community is.  You have to care.  You CAN make a difference. 

Gang specialists are a thing.  We have been around for a long time and gained knowledge over the years.  Agencies “should” be cognizant of who they have with gang experience and do what they can to retain officers with gang experience.   

You can solve a lot of crimes and enact a lot of positive changes in the community with the right gang knowledge.