Gang related crime statistics should be a priority for all law enforcement. When I first began studying gang activity in Southern California, I was surprised there was not data on the crimes gangs committed. I spoke to agents and detectives and they had general ideas of gang crimes but no one had gone through gang […]

Roles in gangs define everything from who gives orders to who carries the product. When outsiders look at a gang, they see chaos. Gang investigators see structure. Mapping those roles is the first step to understanding how a seemingly loose assortment of criminals can survive police raids, internal feuds, and prison sentences. My years working […]

Laws on gangs were created to help communities fight back against violent crime, but too often those laws fall short when applied inconsistently or without the will to enforce them. As someone who spent years investigating gangs across Southern California, I’ve seen firsthand what works—and which laws simply don’t. Understanding the difference can make or […]

When it comes to gang culture, few aspects are as colorful and revealing as the gang names that members adopt. Whether in Oxnard, Santa Paula, or Santa Barbara, gang names are not random — they reflect a deep subculture of loyalty, reputation, and identity within the criminal world. Understanding the logic and history behind gang […]

The gang initiation fight that begins a gang member’s life is more than a physical beating—it’s the culmination of a host of failures of parents, cultural dynamics, and individual despair. I’ve investigated hundreds of gang members throughout my career in law enforcement. Each one started their criminal journey the same way: through a gang initiation […]

Gang culture is dominated by males, but gang initiation for females has a darker, often more degrading reality. While male gang members are typically “jumped in”—enduring a violent beating to earn their place—gang initiation for females can include being “sexed in,” where sex with multiple gang members acts as the entry ticket. It’s not about […]

What to do about gangs? It’s easy to get lost in a jungle of academic jargon and overcomplicated models. I’ve read reports from the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the National Institute of Justice— titles like Police Response to Gangs: A Multi-Site Study and Addressing Community Gang Problems: A Model for Problem Solving. Academic researchers […]

For decades, the relationship between guns and gangs has been one of lethal efficiency. Firearms are more than just tools of violence; they are currency, status symbols, and instruments of power. In the world of gang culture, a gun is known by many names—“strap,” “toy,” “thang,” or “heat.” Take this typical social media exchange between […]

When it comes to gangs drugs aren’t just a source of income, they’re the lifestyle and the lifeblood of the entire operation. Gang members use and sell drugs. Few topics expose the raw underbelly of American criminal life like the intersection of gangs and drugs. From meth-infested motels to digital spaces, gangs have adapted their […]

The picturesque landscapes of Ventura County hides a troubling reality, beneath the surface where Hispanic gangs operate with surprising persistence. I’ve spent years investigating these groups, and the patterns remain disturbingly consistent. The Invisible Problem In 1988, when gang violence spilled into Westwood near University of California Los Angeles, the media suddenly “discovered” gangs. Funny […]