State audit slams gang database as erroneous, badly managed

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 29: Los Angeles Police Department officers from the 77th Street division detain a twenty-year old "Street Villains" gang member who was recently released from prison on April 29, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. The 77th Street division patrol the same neighborhood that truck driver Reginald Denny was nearly beaten to death by a group of black assailants at the intersection of Florence and Normandie Avenues. It’s been 20 years since the verdict was handed down in the Rodney King case that sparked infamous Los Angeles riots. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Police departments rely on the CalGang database to check a suspected gang member’s affiliations. But a state audit say the system is riddled with mistakes and needs a drastic overhaul.

The CalGang database is one of the sources police departments rely on to check a suspected gang member’s affiliations, but a state audit released on Thursday has found the system riddled with mistakes and has called for a drastic overhaul.

The database contains over 150,000 names of suspected gang members. But the review finds numerous instances of inaccurate information, and names that should have been taken out but have nonetheless remained.

Furthermore, the report questions whether some of the information included might violate the privacy of those individuals.

Guests:

Peter Bibring, a senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Southern California and director of police practices for the ACLU of California

Wes McBride, A retired sergeant at the LA County Sheriff’s Gang Unit who co-founded the CalGang database. He is currently the executive director of the California Gang Investigators Association.