Scenario Summary
The following scenario presents key players in any law enforcement agency, possible dialogs, inter-agency politics, and concerns when change is proposed. The facts come from an actual experience in Redondo Beach, California.
This study is about using the Civil Injunction Process against street gangs.
The lawsuit's defendants included 28 gangsters, having names such as, Scrappy, Monster, and Li'l Capone. They were, at one time, a source of terror for neighborhood residents, yet these gangsters eventually faced jail time for innocuous actions such as littering or stepping on someone else's property without permission.
The gang had existed in Rio Sellas for generations. The number of its members was as high as 200, and their ages ranged between 12 to 45 years old. Although most members were Hispanic, there were other ethnic groups, including Whites and Asians.
For a long time, the citizens lived in terror of the gang activity which mainly occurred in Brown Park. Citizens complained of being intimidated and of gun fire, drug dealings, and drunkenness at all hours of the night. Many gang members lived around the park and used the park as a meeting place. As violent activity rose, the city could no longer ignore the problem.
Your Role/Assignment
You will read the Case Study below and conduct research to answer the following four challenge questions presented in a two-to-three-page paper.
Challenge Questions
1. Why do you think that the North Side Protectors gang was allowed to operate for a long time in Rio Sellas?
2. Why did the Chief of Rio Sellas persuade other team members on the advantages behind seeking a Temporary Restraining Order?
3. Will the Temporary Restraining Order really stop the gang, or will the gang simply move its operations to another location or town? Describe the disadvantages for using a Temporary Restraining Order.
4. From where do you expect resistance from using a Temporary Restraining Order to come? What other alternatives are there for dealing with gang problems?