Gang Units

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) does not have a single, all-encompassing "Gang Unit", as gang enforcement responsibilities are divided among a variety of organizational units.

Department Gang Coordinator

The Department Gang Coordinator is responsible for developing policies and procedures for gang and narcotics enforcement strategies as well as providing citywide oversight of geographical area Gang Impact Teams and geographical bureau Gang Coordinators. This includes the scheduling of Bureau Gang Coordinator audits, development of audit methodology, and the review of audit findings.

Chief Howard

The Department Gang Coordinator is an administrative position assigned to the Commanding Officer, Special Operations Bureau. The position is currently held by Deputy Chief Fritz Howard.

Bureau Gang Coordinator

A Bureau Gang Coordinator is responsible for monitoring and assessing Gang Impact Team operations and policy compliance issues within their assigned geographical bureau (i.e. Central, South, Valley, West). Additionally, a Bureau Gang Coordinator will:

• provide feedback to the Bureau and Area commanding officers on audit/inspection findings and the overall performance of GITs
• conduct on-site inspections/audits of Area GIT operations in accordance with the schedule and format established by the Department Gang Coordinator. Completed audits shall be provided via the Bureau Commanding Officer to the Department Gang Coordinator and the concerned Area Commanding Officer
• liaise on a regular basis with other Bureau Gang Coordinators, and coordinate with the Department Gang Coordinator regarding bureau-wide activities, training, and required technical support
• track and document actions taken in response to audit recommendations

The Bureau Gang Coordinator is an administrative position, generally held by a Lieutenant II, who reports directly to the command staff of their assigned geographical bureau (Deputy Chief and Commander).

Gang and Operations Support Division

The Gang and Operations Support Division (GOSD) is responsible for providing administrative and investigative support, expertise, and training on matters relating to gang issues.

Gang Impact Teams

Gang Impact Teams (GIT) provide a collaborative, consistent and coordinated approach to impacting violent gang and narcotic crime. GITs are found in each geographic Area (21 in total), each headed by a Lieutenant II as the Officer-in-Charge, under the direct command of the geographic Area Commander, a Captain III.

The GITs mission is accomplished through intelligence gathering, sharing and dissemination; enhanced investigations and prosecutions; direct community involvement, input and feedback; and identification of prevention and intervention resources for at risk youth.

• Community component: command staff, managers and supervisors are to demonstrate support for GITs during roll calls and community meetings; GIT field personnel will make a daily "public service" or "outreach" contact with at least one community member to show the Department's commitment to addressing violent crime and criminal gang members; community input and support will be solicited; establish a hotline to provide a means by which community members can report gang crime and information without fear of reprisal; establish liaison with local school principals, school police, housing authority police, and other faith based organizations; and identify factors which promote criminal activity in high crime areas and seek remedy or removal, e.g. increased street/alley lighting, removal of excess brush, refuse, or abandoned vehicles, which provide cover and concealment to persons or contraband.

• Intelligence component: coordinates intelligence gathering efforts; identifies the most active gangs in each Area, and identifies and investigates their leadership; monitors gang related funerals to gather intelligence; interviews selected arrestees for intelligence gathering and dissemination purposes; and establishes sources of information, including informants, as a means of intelligence gathering.

• Enforcement component: increases uniformed deployment to provide high visibility patrol in targeted areas; conducts compliance checks on gang members on active probation or parole in coordination with parole agents, probation officers, and the California Youth Authority; and coordinates the resources of narcotics personnel, Metropolitan Division, and uniformed gang officers to establish observation points at known narcotics locations to identify and apprehend buyers, dealers and suppliers.

Gang Enforcement Detail

The Gang Enforcement Detail (GED) is the GIT's primary uniformed component focusing on gang members and associated crimes. Gang Enforcement Details are responsible for gathering gang-related intelligence and information, identifying gang crime patterns, monitoring gang activity, and implementing crime suppression strategies, including:

• establishing and maintaining a visible police presence in communities most affected by violent street gangs and gang-related street narcotics trafficking
• deploying to selected locations during periods when criminal gang activity has or is likely to occur
• monitoring parks, schools, and other locations where gang members congregate
• collecting and maintaining gang intelligence to prevent gang-related crime and/or identify and apprehend suspects
• identifying and focusing efforts on the most active and violent gangs and their leadership to reduce the proliferation of gangs

As per LAPD policy, GEDs shall not use confidential informants, and all officers must wear Class A or C uniforms (no other uniform is authorized, e.g. clothing with insignias identifying a particular unit, plainclothes, raid jackets, etc.) and use marked black and white police vehicles for all activities.

CLEAR Unit (in select areas)

The goal of the Community Law Enforcement and Recovery (CLEAR) Program is to reduce the propagation of gangs, gang membership, and gang-related criminal activity in Los Angeles. Target areas are selected based upon the severity of gang crime in the area. CLEAR utilizes an operations team consisting of representatives from the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Probation Department, Los Angeles City Attorney, Los Angeles County District Attorney, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

• The Los Angeles Police Department deploys officers who are designated to respond to gang-related criminal activity within their respective CLEAR target area, and coordinates law enforcement efforts to suppress gang crime.

• The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation monitors and closely supervises all parolees during their re-entry into society to avert them from engaging in criminal activity upon their release.

• The Los Angeles County Probation Department works with the City Attorney to ensure that gang members receive appropriate conditions of probation that prohibit association with other gang members, through curfews and restrictions on returning to designated areas.

• The District Attorney’s Office and City Attorney’s Office prosecute the cases generated by CLEAR unit arrests. They also track all arrests made by the CLEAR unit and prepare reports on the progress of the prosecution efforts, and prepare and prosecute civil injunctions against gang member activities within the CLEAR sites.

Narcotics Enforcement Detail

The Narcotics Enforcement Detail (NED) shall address street sales, illegal use, and covert trafficking of narcotics. The NED operates under the line command of the GIT Officer-in-Charge, but remains under the functional supervision of the Narcotics Division.

Investigation Detail

The Investigation Detail is responsible for investigating gang-related crimes, with the exception of homicides and sex crimes. The Investigation Detail is also responsible for assisting in the preparation of search and arrest warrants, and developing sources of information and informants; collaborating with prosecutors in filing cases, seeking charge enhancements, and pursuing injunctions and abatements; providing investigative support to GITs; providing training regarding gang investigations; and coordinating enforcement strategies with GIT personnel.

The Investigation Detail is staffed by detectives from the Area Detective Division. At the discretion of the Area Commander, the Investigation Detail may fall under the command of the GIT or the Area Detective Division.

Gang Crime Analysis Detail

The Gang Crime Analysis Detail (G-CAD) reviews all Area crime, arrest and follow-up reports that are completed for identified gang crimes, and reviews all crime, arrest and follow-up reports to determine gang involvement using the gang-related indicators.

Narcotics Division

The Narcotics Division (ND) is responsible for monitoring narcotic enforcement efforts on a citywide basis and investigating major occurrences involving narcotics and dangerous drugs which are illegally manufactured, supplied, or distributed.

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