Blog - Gangs - June 2007

Not everyone is graced with the skills necessary to identify and develop gang informants. It's like the ability to strike up a conversation with a stranger of the opposite sex when dating; some people just have that flirtatious flair, and some don't.

Why do the otherwise productive anti-gang programs of New York, Chicago, Baltimore, and Philadelphia not work in Los Angeles? Why do these same cities seem overwhelmed by the flood of Southern California gang members? 

The best laid plans and tactics often fall apart after the first shots are fired. However, learning what has worked well against your enemy in the past, listening to the advice of veterans, and participating in practical tactical training that includes repeated realistic practice, will give you that tactical edge in combat. This applies not only to soldiers and cops, but to gang members as well.

The dynamics of Los Angeles and the Crip and Blood gangs of the 1980s presented certain criminal entrepreneurs with to opportunity to control the drug trade in large sections of the city, and the L.A. drug lifestyle provided an unlimited consumer base for expansion; it was supply and demand economics in its most vicious form.