The average age for joining a gang is 13.
Mayor Kevin Faulconer has said he wants to increase resources for gang policing in San Diego. Two high-profile gang cases have caught the media’s attention in recent months. And in March, state Attorney General Kamala Harris came to town to talk gangs.
For a relatively safe city, San Diego is talking about gangs quite a bit. To put it the problem into perspective, here’s a primer on San Diego’s gang landscape.
The city of San Diego has more than 4,100 gang members in 91 gangs.
The figures come from San Diego Police gang investigations Lt. Keith Lucas.
A gang is described in the California Penal Code as “any organization, association or group of three or more persons, whether formal or informal, which (1) has continuity of purpose, (2) seeks a group identity and (3) has members who individually or collectively engage in or have engaged in a pattern of criminal activity.”
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