United States. Chicago Police Department. Street Gangs: The New Organized Crime - A Chicago Police Department Report. By Philip J. Cline. Chicago: Chicago Police Department, 2004. Print.

Street gangs of Chicago

“According to the U.S. Criminal Code, street gangs are ongoing groups, clubs, organizations, or associations of five or more individuals that have as one of their primary purposed the commission of one or more criminal offenses. Street gangs are located throughout the country, and their membership varies in number, racial and ethnic composition, and structure. Large national street gangs produce, transport, and distribute large quantities of illicit drugs throughout the country and are extremely violent. Local street gangs in rural suburban m and urban areas pose a low but growing threat, transporting, and distributing drugs within very specific areas. These gangs often imitate the larger, more powerful national gangs in order to gain respect from rivals” (Gangs, p1).