Origins and Purpose of CalGang (Image Credits: Nypost.com)
Los Angeles – Law enforcement officials in Los Angeles reported ongoing difficulties in tracking gang-related crime following the 2020 revocation of access to a statewide intelligence database.[1][2]
Origins and Purpose of CalGang
The CalGang database served as a shared tool for California law enforcement agencies to store information on suspected gang members and associates. It held records on roughly 80,000 individuals, with the Los Angeles Police Department contributing nearly a quarter of the entries.[3][4]
Assembly Bill 90, passed in 2017, placed oversight of the system under the California Department of Justice to address longstanding concerns about accuracy and fairness. Previous audits had uncovered issues such as the inclusion of young children and entries based on vague criteria like clothing or neighborhood residence.[4]…