The organizational career of gang statistics: The politics of policing gangs

This article examines the way in which the construction of a "gang" problem and the resulting "gang statistics" in a particular community, referred to as Bigcity, are related to the local political context and the police acco mmodation of political interests. In particular, the political accountabili ty of the police impacts on police recordkeeping practices and the statisti cs regarding "gangs" that those records generate. The organizational career of Sang statistics, from the citizen's call to the police response and sub sequent recordwork, is examined in order to demonstrate how the recordkeepi ng practices of the police bureaucracy facilitate the social construction o f the "gang" problem. Field research data, including calls to the police, r ide-along observations, and interviews, illustrate how the politicization o f the "gang" problem impacts on police recordkeeping and the social constru ction of "gang statistics." Given that the current concern about the nation wide growth of gangs is based on such statistics and that gang suppression efforts call for enhancing and sharing gang databases, the role of police p ractices in shaping gang statistics is an important issue.