PURPOSE OF ORDER
This order is to standardize gang-related crime reporting procedures throughout Operation Safe Streets (OSS) Bureau and to provide a guide for all other reporting units to follow.
SCOPE OF ORDER
This order applies to all OSS Bureau Personnel.
ORDER
The following guidelines shall be followed when reporting gang-related crimes and gang-related murders.
GANG-RELATED CRIME
A crime should be considered gang-related when the participants, acting individually or collectively, are believed to be gang members or affiliates.
A crime should also be considered gang-related when:
The nature of the offense and the circumstances are consistent with crimes committed by known gang members
The participants were wearing or using common identifying signs, symbols, or colors
It is determined to be gang-related based on the expert opinion of a gang investigator.
This determination does not require one-hundred percent certainty, only that the circumstances indicate a "gang nexus."
A gang-related crime should not be confused with a gang-motivated crime.
Example: A gang member involved in an argument about their parents kills their sibling. This would be documented as a gang-related murder, although there was no "gang-motivation."
MURDERS
Gang-related murders shall be determined in the same manner as other gang-related crimes. The Bureau maintains the responsibility in determining whether a murder is considered gang-related, based upon the expertise of bureau personnel and the totality of the circumstances.
To accurately report gang crimes, stat Code 860 must be used to document gang-related incidents in LARCIS. All Bureau investigative team sergeants are responsible for ensuring the 860 stat code is added if the initial report did not accurately classify the incident as gang-related.