Los Angeles Gang Crimes Decline, Bail Habits Change

Bail habits change with crime rate decline.

Los Angeles is a city which had some of the worst gang violence in the nation throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. Los Angeles has been known as the city with the largest gang violence rate in the nation with New York City as the only comparable second despite being a drastically larger city in terms of population. Los Angeles is the only city in the nation where gang related violence is more predominant in murders than in drug offenses. California in general is linked to a large number of gangs and crimes that occur related to these gang infrastructures. A study in 2008 stated that the five most gang infested cities are Los Angeles, Oakland, Long Beach (within Los Angeles County), Newark and Oklahoma City.

Throughout the mid 1990’s Los Angeles was a city where gang murders dominated the headlines and police chases were such a frequent occurrence that they regularly interrupted after school cartoons with breaking news reports of another high speed chase. It was believed by many that the city could not recover from the level of violence that occurred throughout this era. One murder would often stir up retaliation between gangs leading to feuds that could persist for several months and in some cases up to several years.

In the early years of 1991, 1992, and 1993 over 1,000 citizens of the City of Los Angeles were murdered annually with the majority of these being directly related to gang retaliation and innocent citizens gunned down in gang crossfire. This led police to begin developing smarter law enforcement tactics which has coined the term “data-driven law enforcement”. It was realized by law enforcement agencies that the majority of violent crimes which occurred were classified as repressible crimes which could be prevented by increased patrols and policing habits.

With the realization that data and enhanced tactics could curb a large portion of crimes the Los Angeles police department in conjunction with other supporting law enforcement agencies have began setting an example to the nation on how to clean up crime ridden streets. So what are some of the factors that helped to decrease the rate of crimes among gangs in Los Angeles?

Community Programs:
Community programs were an integral part of the law enforcement officials in Los Angeles County. Gang activity is typically territory oriented which tends to effect specific communities. In many cases gangs would employ fear and intimidation tactics to dissuade members of the community from reporting crimes or providing information to the police department. In many gang ridden areas the communities did not trust law enforcement agents so community outreach programs were put in place to help mend the trust relations between police departments and communities.

Additionally community programs have been implemented within the prison systems in the State of California that help to rehabilitate gang members. One of the most difficult challenges law enforcement agents face is attempting to dissuade a paroled gang member from joining back up with their old associates. Previously there were no intervention methods or help for a former gang member to provide the support they needed to leave their gang lifestyle behind. Many of these individuals grew up within a gang culture from a very young age and are not accustomed to how citizens properly act within society.

Revised Legislation:
Another method used by law enforcement agencies in conjunction with state political and judicial agencies was the passing of legislation to increase sentences for gang related crimes, repeat offenders and specific crimes. One of the most known uses of this was with the passage of California’s 3 Strike Law in 1994. This law was proposed in State Legislation and was voted into the state by its citizens. The law would be further amended in 2000 in California’s Proposition 36 where drug related offenses should prioritize rehabilitation programs over life sentences for drug addicts convicted of non violent offenses.

Data Driven Investigations:
The use of technology and data has significantly increased the effectiveness of law enforcement personnel. Both national and statewide databases have been developed in attempts to link unsolved crimes and patterns of violence. This has allowed police officers to intervene on more and more crimes before they occur or while they are in progress as opposed to investigating these after they occur. Additionally gang databases have allowed increased interception of drug shipments and the dismantling of the financial structures of sophisticated organized crime syndicates.

Changes in bail bond habits:
With the decrease in crime rate since the mid 1990’s there has also been a significant change in bail bonds consumer habits which reflect an interesting insight into some of the issues cities like Los Angeles face. Prior to 1996 the most commonly used bond type was a property bond or a bond of other asset value, however with the decrease in crime rates the bail bonds industry has seen a decline in this particular bond type. The most frequently used bail bond now is the surety bond which has gained popularity after the passing of stricter legislation and a decrease in overall crime in Los Angeles. From this trend one can infer that the families of individuals facing criminal trials are less likely to put property or other valuable assets up as collateral to bail their loved ones out of jail.