Police perceptions of the severity of local gang problems: An analysis of noncriminal predictors

Abstract

The results of a survey of municipal police departments in nine states are used to examine the effects of gang and city traits on police perceptions of the severity of the gang problem in their jurisdiction. The study is a preliminary and heuristic inquiry into some of the factors that color police perceptions of gangs. The data are especially relevant to small and medium‐sized cities in the south central region of the United States. Analysis indicates that only the size of the gang and its organizational level are clearly significant, although race is more prominent than was expected. The analysis probes the relationships among these variables and raises questions about the origins of police perceptions and the dynamics of gang development.