Cross-Border Multi-Jurisdictional Task Force Evaluation, San Diego and Imperial Counties, California, 2007-2012

Task Force Surveys In May 2011, a list of multi-jurisdictional task forces (MJTFs) that conduct operations aimed at reducing the flow of drugs into San Diego and Imperial Counties was created with input from partners at the Chula Vista PD, San Diego County Sheriff's Department, and California Border Alliance Group (CBAG). For the purpose of this project, a task force was defined as any cooperative law enforcement effort involving two or more criminal justice agencies with jurisdiction over two or more areas, sharing the common goal of impacting one or more aspects of drug control and violent crime problems. San Diego County task forces were included because the two efforts being evaluated as part of this project were located within this region and Imperial County was included to enhance understanding of the issues facing the Southern District of California and how the additional funding provided to the two grantees was leveraged to target identified issues. A written survey was administered to these task forces, rather than a telephone interview as originally intended, based on feedback from the project partners regarding the methods they thought would be most likely to yield a high response rate and would enable stakeholders the opportunity to compile the information that was being requested. Law Enforcement Stakeholder Surveys Researchers created a law enforcement stakeholder survey to be administered to local, state, and federal sworn staff who had ever had direct experience on a multi-jurisdictional task force (MJTF) or had worked on an issue connected to cross-border drug-related violence. Surveys were administered in January 2013 with respondents having the option of completing the survey through an electronic link, on the computer and returning it via email, or by hand. There were two surveys conducted: Imperial County Law Enforcement Stakeholder Survey and San Diego Law Enforcement Stakeholder Survey. The survey instrument for Imperial County was similar to the one used for San Diego County, but excluded questions regarding informal assistance to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funded efforts, as well as questions used for the Social Network Analysis (SNA). Social Network Analysis (SNA) Supplementing the law enforcement stakeholder surveys, a social network analysis was conducted for respondents who indicated task force assignment to one of the five ARRA-funded efforts (the Cross-Border Kidnapping/Violence Task Force (CBVTF), the Major Mexican Traffickers Task Force (MMTTF), the Violent Crimes Task Force-Gang Group (VCTF-GG), the Border Crime Suppression Team (BCST), and the Violent Crimes Safe Streets Task Force (SSTF)). The purpose of the network analysis was to graphically show how individuals in this network collaborate and how they were linked. Through SNA, the analytic assessment of the ties or relations within a network was examined through both visualization and empirical analyses. Visualization allowed for the pictorial display of the network with characters (often called nodes) and lines (often called edges) of various colors and shapes. Both types of analysis were important because one allowed the reader to visualize the abstract network, while the other provided network statistics, such as network cohesion, actor centrality, and the existence of possible network subgroups, that further helped in understanding how the members of the network worked together. Resident Surveys Residents in communities near the border in both San Diego and Imperial Counties were surveyed in December 2011 over a four-day period regarding their perceptions of safety. Calls for Service Data Based on feedback from program stakeholders, another additional research component was added to the project to determine if crime, as measured by calls for service (CFS), changed in any measurable way following a large task force takedown. To answer this research question, the addresses where 53 of the 119 arrests that were part of two of the three operations described for Criminal Activity Data were compiled. Staff and Cost Measures Data Research staff worked with MJTF leaders to capture information related to drug seizures, asset seizures, and drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) disrupted and dismantled on an Excel tracking sheet for each calendar year 2007 through 2012 or for the period of time in existence, if less than this six-year period. In addition, staffing data, including the number of assigned staff, their rank, and their originating agency also were compiled for the same time period. With these figures, the researchers worked with local and state law enforcement agencies to determine the median 2012 salary for a given position, and with federal law enforcement agencies to determine the median Grade and Step Pay Level, which was then tied to the 2012 San Diego Salary Table published by the United States Office of Personnel Management. Prosecution Outcome Data A list of all individuals arrested by the North County Gang Task Force (NCGTF), East County Gang Task Force (ECGTF), Violent Crimes Task Force-Gang Group (VCTF-GG), and Border Crime Suppression Team (BCST) between 2007 and 2012 was compiled. Countywide Arrest Data Arrest data, which measures law enforcement's response to crime, were compiled and summarized from the California Department of Justice's Web site to provide further context to the task force specific results. Criminal Activity Data In January 2012, a large-scale takedown of Mexican Mafia and street gang members and associates with ties to the Mexican Mafia occurred across San Diego County. As part of these coordinated efforts, the North County Gang Task Force (NCGTF) conducted an 18-month long investigation that resulted in eight indictments charging 51 individuals with both state and federal crimes including attempted murder, kidnapping, robbery, extortion, money laundering, and drug trafficking violations; the East County Gang Task Force (ECGTF) conducted a 12-month long investigation that focused on gang-related methamphetamine distribution and resulted in four indictments and eight complaints against 21 individuals; and the Violent Crimes Task Force-Gang Group (VCTF-GG) conducted an operation which resulted in five indictments charging 36 individuals with such crimes as conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, violent crime in aid of racketeering, distribution and conspiracy to distribute meth and heroin, and criminal forfeiture. While the researchers were not aware of these operations before their occurrence, it did offer an opportunity to refine the evaluation design and measures by looking more closely at the individuals who were arrested to determine how dangerous they were, as measured by their criminal history, and what the short-term effect of their being taken off the street around the arrest location.