1. Data Journalism – Professor Dana Chinn
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department: Gang-Related Crimes Data Journalism - Final Project
By Caleigh Rae Wells
Data Journalism – Professor Dana Chinn
Spring 2016 || May 5th, 2017

2. Gang-related crime rates are on the decline in Los Angeles, but identifying who is in a gang is still a challenge..
“Sometimes people who are in the ‘Cal’ gang database don’t even know that they are labeled as gang members…” says Alex Sanchez, the Executive Director and co-founder of Homies Unidos, a Los Angeles-based gang intervention center. “They will get arrested, be labeled as gang members, and the only people who label the convicted person as a gang member is the sheriff who is arresting them. Law enforcement has discretion to determine whether or not the crime is gang related, whether or not the crime is actually involved with a gang.” Though the data released by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department reveals a significant decrease in the number of reported gang-related crimes in Los Angeles, many questions arise surrounding gang-related crimes such as: what differentiates “a crime” from a “gang-related crime”? And is the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department responsible for this change or have gang-intervention centers such as “Homies Unidos” affected the overall gang-related crime rates in Los Angeles? Under California law, all crimes reported by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are public information and must be uploaded to the Los Angeles Open Data website. Starting in 2004 through 2015, the data presented in this story illustrates the reported crime rates for the cities under the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department’s jurisdiction. Though the data provided on this website for public record seems comprehensive and transparent, the data released surrounding crimes may not be as objective as it appears with discrepancies in the way the data is presented and classified.

3. Chart #1: Total Crime by Year, Gang-Related and
Non Gang-Related,
The total number of crimes have decreased and both gang-related and non gang-related crimes reported have decreased from 2004 until 2015.
According to Sergeant Gabrielle Peloquin of the Orange County Sheriff’s department:
“Some of the identifiers and aspects which can determine whether or not the crime can be categorized under ‘gang-related’ or warrant a suspect (or criminal) warrants ‘gang enhancement’ on their record, include: whether or not the suspect is dressed as a gang member; if the suspect has posted photos on social media with other known gang members or has posted pictures holding up gang symbols; if the suspect is a known gang member; or on the prison level, if an inmate has been witnessed drawing or acted out gang symbols.”

4. Chart #2: Percent of Gang-Related Crimes
Of the data collected by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, gang-related crimes comprise only a third of the the overall crimes reported.
From 2004 through 2015, gang-related crimes have decreased by 5 percentage points, while non gang-related crimes in Los Angeles have increased by 5 percentage points.

5. Chart #3: Percent Change in Gang-Related Crimes vs
Chart #3: Percent Change in Gang-Related Crimes vs. Non-Gang-Related by Year Compared to 2004
Gang-related crimes have decreased by 20 percent,
while non gang-related crimes have only
experienced a four percent decrease.
According to Alex Sanchez, the Executive
Director and co-founder of Homies
Unidos, a Los Angeles-based gang intervention
center:
“The numbers fall when the gang
members create truces among each other.
When this happens, the numbers within the trends
drop and the sheriff’s department takes credit for
it even when they were not involved with the
number of crimes decreasing.”

6. Chart #4: Percent Change in Gang-Related Crimes
by Crime Category 2004 vs. 2015
The types of gang-related crimes which have decreased the most, include: Gambling, Warrants, and Forcible Rape; while Federal Offenses, Drunk Driving Vehicle/Boating, and Arson have increased the most since 2004.

7. Gang-Reduction Programs in Los Angeles County
Homies Unidos 
Homies Unidos is a non-profit organization located in Los Angeles with a mission to “defend the inherent right of youth, families and their communities to pursue their dreams and achieve their full potential in a just, safe and healthy society.” The program is run by co-founder Alex Sanchez and seeks to end violence and promote peace in our communities by empowering youth and their families to become advocates for social justice rather than agents of self-destruction. Homies Unidos uses an “alternative vision to incarceration, deportation, and repressive and ineffective zero-tolerance “gang abatement” and “bandaid” social service strategies.” || For more information visit:
Chuco’s Youth Justice Coalition
The Chuco’s Youth Justice Coalition, established in 2005, is an organization that works with youth and families in the Los Angeles area. The center was built in honor of Jesse “Chuco” Becerra, a former gang member turned “community peacemaker” and activists, who was shot and killed on the streets of Inglewood. || For more information visit:
B.U.I.L.D.-Brotherhood for Independent Leadership through Discipline
B.U.I.L.D. is non-profit, pro-social “Youth Empowerment Program”, established in Los Angeles in The goal of the center is to provide, “a comprehensive program of direction, self-discipline, focus and responsibility for young adults, by providing them with 30 unique outlets for physical fitness.” || For more information visit:
Inner City Visions 
Founded by Pete Carroll in 2008, Inner City Visions is a young community and gang intervention program run by Alfred Lomas, Kevin Malone, and Dr. Indhushree Rajan. The program serves to “strategically break the inter-generational cycles of poverty, addiction and gang violence by using a holistic approach that meets the unique needs of vulnerable families and children.” || For more information visit:
For more information, check out my story on gang intervention in Inglewood:
"Inglewood's Dangerous Dichotomy: The Decision between Graduation or a Gang"

8. About the Story
How Crimes are coded/ credibility: Under California law, all crimes reported by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is public information and must be uploaded to the Los Angeles Open Data website. Though the data provided on this website for public record seems comprehensive and transparent, there are discrepancies in the way the data is presented and classified. For example, the statistical identification codes provided in the dataset does not match the statistical identification codes listed in the California Penal Code making it difficult to correlate and relate the dataset to the actual state defined crimes. Where does the data come from? The data was collected and entered into a database by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. This data can be viewed and downloaded online via the Los Angeles Open Data Website. What does it include? What time period does it cover? Starting in 2004 through 2015, this dataset illustrates the reported data for the cities under the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department’s jurisdiction, the total number of reported crimes and victims per year. Comprised of approximately 6,000 rows of data, the data set is organized into seven columns listed as: Crime Year, Crime Category Number, Crime Category Description, Statistical Code, Victim Count, and Gang-Related. According to Sheriff Peloquin, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is only responsible for “all of its contracted cities, unincorporated communities in Los Angeles, as well as certain contracted facilities such as hospitals, the Superior Court and the Los Angeles County jail and its inmates.” The crime data provided in this story only includes reported crimes from specific communities in Los Angeles, because the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department only works within the boundaries of it jurisdiction. For example, this does not include the data collected by the Los Angeles Police Department.

9. About the Story
Where can I download it?
The raw data set for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department can be downloaded using the following link which is found on the Los Angeles County Open Data Portal Website. To located this data, go to the Los Angeles County Open Data Portal, choose “Public Safety” section and scroll down to “LA SHERIFF CRIMES LAST 12 MONTHS”
To download this data, click on this link:
What is the difference in your dataset from the raw data?
The deleted categories from the raw data include: Street, City, State, Zip, Latitude, Longitude, Reporting District, Station Identifier, Crime Identifier, Geographic Crime Location. For this specific story, the data set was simplified and comprised of over 6,000 rows, where as the original raw data set was comprised of over 2.3 million rows.
Why is it important that the public knows about this data?
The Los Angeles community has a long history when it comes to gang-related crimes. For this reason and more, it is imperative that residents be aware of the data which is available for public record in order to gauge the overall safety of the communities where they live. Whether or not the data collected and presented by the sheriff’s department is accurate, all California resident have the right by law to be privy to information regarding their community. The specific data presented in this story is primarily concerned with the data which reveals a reduction in overall crime and gang activity over a 12 year span, but residents can use this data in order to decide whether or not it reflects what they are actually experiencing within in those cities under the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Departments jurisdiction.
For more information, check out my story on gang intervention in Inglewood:
"Inglewood's Dangerous Dichotomy: The Decision between Graduation or a Gang"

10. Glossary: Crimes and Victims
Who are crimes reported by? What is the definition of a “victim”?
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and all other California Sheriff Departments refer to the California Penal Code when reporting or handling a crime. According to Sergeant Gabrielle Peloquin of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department - Property and Evidence Bureau, “when a crime is committed, law enforcement must ask themselves a key question: ‘did the suspect in question commit any elements of the specific crimes outlined in the penal code?’” Furthermore, says Sergeant Peloquin, “all California officers and sheriffs have the right to ‘exercise discretion’ when deciding to arrest someone as stating by California Penal Code 4.”
According to Sergeant Peloquin, in order to maintain continuity on the state and federal levels, crimes must also be reported to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program and the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) Program, stating “all California Sheriff Departments are subject to being audited by the UCR, NCVS and DOJ if the crimes reported do not remain under strict requirements outlined in the California Penal Code. Since some major crimes vary in definition per each state’s penal codes, this program works to regulate discrepancies and delinquencies in terms of how crimes are defined in each state by compiling the data collected in each state.”
The UCR website states, “as part of the UCR Program, law enforcement agencies throughout the state report summary information to the DOJ on "selected" crimes. Reported crimes are classified by UCR definitions designed to eliminate differences among the various states' penal code definitions of crimes. This information is not only incorporated in this Crime and Delinquency report; it is processed and forwarded to the FBI for use in its annual publication.”
For more information on the definition of a crime and Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program and the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) Program, see link:
The State of California Department of Justice defines a victim as, “a person who suffers direct or threatened physical, psychological, or financial harm as a result of the commission or attempted commission of a crime or delinquent act. The term 'victim' also includes the person's spouse, parents, children, siblings, or guardian, and includes a lawful representative of a crime victim who is deceased, a minor, or physically or psychologically incapacitated” (CA DOJ:

11. Glossary: Crime Categories and Statistical Codes
Crime Categories and Statistical Codes – How they are related? Whose codes are these (States? Federal?)
All crime categories used by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are determined on the federal level by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The FBI categorizes crimes into two groups by severity of crimes which include: Part I and Part II Crimes.
Part I Crimes are the most serious: Criminal Homicide, Forcible Rape, Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Burglary, Larceny Theft, Grand Theft Auto, Arson.
Part II: Forgery, Fraud and NSF Checks, Sex Offense Felonies, Sex Offenses Misdemeanors, Non-Aggravated Assaults, Weapon Laws, Offenses Against Family, Narcotics, Liquor Laws, Drunk/Alcohol/Drugs, Disorderly Conduct, Vagrancy, Gambling, Drunk Driving Vehicle/Boat, Vehicle/Boating Laws, Vandalism, Warrants, Receiving Stolen Property, Federal Offenses without Money, Federal Offenses with Money, Felonies Miscellaneous, and Misdemeanors Miscellaneous. 
The FBI defines a Statistical Code as “a numerical coding system to identify the primary crime category for an incident.”
Under both Part I or Part II Crimes, the FBI defines Crime Category. Each Crime Category can have additional more specific definitions and variations of crimes which identified with a Statistical Code, defined by the FBI and/or documented in the California Penal Code .
For more information visit, the FBI Website:

12. Glossary: Los Angeles County Sheriff Jurisdiction
Los Angeles County Sheriff Jurisdiction The LA County Sheriff’s Department is responsible for 40 contracted cities and is known to be the largest sheriff’s department in the country. The dataset illustrates the reported data for the 40 contracted cities under the LA Sheriff Department’s jurisdiction and their total number of reported crimes and victims ranging from the years 2004 until For more information on LA Sheriff Department Jurisdiction:

13. Glossary: Gang-Related Crimes
Define “Gang Related”
According to Sergeant Peloquin, “all crimes committed by those who are suspected to be affiliated or known to be in a gang must be placed under the specific definition called ‘gang enhancement.’” The California Penal Code, Section , states: “Any person who actively participates in any criminal street gang with knowledge that its members engage in or have engaged in a pattern of criminal gang activity, and who willfully promotes, furthers, or assists in any felonious criminal conduct by members of that gang, shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail for a period not to exceed one year, or by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months, or two or three years. - See more at:
Sergeant Peloquin adds, “some of the identifiers and aspects which can determine whether or not the crime can be categorized under ‘gang-related’ or warrant a suspect/criminal warrants ‘gang enhancement’ on their record, include: whether or not the suspect/criminal is dressed as a gang member; if the suspect/criminal has posted photos on social media with other known gang members or has posted pictures holding up gang symbols; if the suspect/criminal is a known gang member; or on the prison level, if an inmate has been witnessed drawing or acted out gang symbols.”
According to the California Department of Justice, “in a 2009 Organized Crime in California, Annual Report to the California Legislature summarizes the major criminal activities and crimes attributed to gang members, organized crime groups, criminal extremists, and international terrorist organizations.” Below are examples of some of the observations made through the investigation on organized crime in Los Angeles.
• Criminal street gangs continue to engage in drug trafficking. They are also involved in auto theft, weapons trafficking, intimidation, extortion, assault and murder. Street gang members use social networking websites to communicate.
• Prison gangs continue to control some of California’s criminal street gangs. Despite incarceration, prison gang members influence and direct some criminal street gang activities including assault, weapons and drug trafficking, extortion, intimidation and murder.
• Outlaw motorcycle gangs remain involved in drug trafficking, assault, extortion, homicide, money laundering, prostitution, stolen vehicles and illegal weapons trade. Rivalry among the various outlaw motorcycle gangs continues.
(California DOJ Website:
Image taken from Chuco’s Youth Justice Coalition, Youth Organization Program & Gang Intervention Center:

14. Glossary: Legal Definitions of Crimes
Aggravated Assault: “The unlawful attack or attempted attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury. This type of assault is usually accompanied by the use of a weapon or by means likely to produce death or great bodily harm”
(Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program and the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) Program:
Larceny Theft: “When the money, labor, or real or personal property taken is of a value exceeding nine hundred fifty dollars ($950)”
(CA Penal Code, Section 487:
Non-Aggravated Assault: according to the California DOJ, “Non-aggravated (simple) assaults are not included in the violent crime count. This category is shown here as a means of quality control and for the purpose of looking at total assault violence” (
Federal Offenses with Money: “Conducts” includes, but is not limited to, initiating, concluding, or participating in conducting, initiating, or concluding a transaction” (CA Penal Code, Section :(
Drunk Driving Vehicle / Boat: The State of California has strict drunk driving laws for drivers under the age of 21 and repeat offenders (.01%) and a "no tolerance" law for drivers under the age of 18. In addition a driver of a commercial vehicle is only prohibited from driving with a .04% BAC or higher (
Arson:  “A person is guilty of arson when he or she willfully and maliciously sets fire to or burns or causes to be burned or who aids, counsels, or procures the burning of, any structure, forest land, or property” (CA Penal Code, Section 451: )
Offenses Against Family: “(1) he is legally married and he:(A) purports to marry or does marry a person other than his spouse in this state, or any other state or foreign country, under circumstances that would, but for the actor's prior marriage, constitute a marriage; or (B) lives with a person other than his spouse in this state under the appearance of being married; or (2) he knows that a married person other than his spouse is married and he:A) purports to marry or does marry that person in this state, or any other state or foreign country, under circumstances that would, but for the person's prior marriage, constitute a marriage; or(B) lives with that person in this state under the appearance of being married" (CA Penal Code, Section 25.01: ).

15. Glossary: Legal Definitions of Crimes
Legal Definitions of Crimes (Continued)
Vehicle/Boating Laws: Any interest in a vehicle, boat, airplane, money, negotiable instruments, securities, real property, or other thing of value that was put to substantial use for the purpose of facilitating the crime of human trafficking that involves a commercial sex act, as defined in paragraph (2) of subdivision (g) of Section , where the victim was less than 18 years of age at the time of the commission of the crime, may be seized and ordered forfeited by the court upon the conviction of a person guilty of human trafficking that involves a commercial sex act where the victim is an individual under 18 years of age, pursuant to Section See more at:  Penal Code, Section 236.7
Vagrancy: “Who lodges in any building, structure, vehicle, or place, whether public or private, without the permission of the owner or person entitled to the possession or in control of it ” (CA Penal Code, Section 647:
Robbery: “Robbery is the felonious taking of personal property in the possession of another, from his person or immediate presence, and against his will, accomplished by means of force or fear” (CA Penal Code, Section 211:
Receiving Stolen Property: “Every person who buys or receives any property that has been stolen or that has been obtained in any manner constituting theft or extortion, knowing the property to be so stolen or obtained, or who conceals, sells, withholds, or aids in concealing, selling, or withholding any property from the owner, knowing the property to be so stolen or obtained, shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail for not more than one year, or imprisonment pursuant to subdivision” CA Penal (Code, Section 594:
Narcotics: “Prohibited drug substance” is any drug substance, medication, or chemical, whether natural or synthetic, or a metabolite or analogue thereof, foreign to the horse, whose use is not expressly authorized by the board. This includes, but is not limited to, any substance determined to be a stimulant, depressant, local anesthetic, or narcotic, or any drug, regardless of how harmless or innocuous it might otherwise be, which could interfere with the detection of any prohibited drug” (CA Penal Code, Section – : )
Liquor Laws: “The State of California, subject to the internal revenue laws of the United States, has the exclusive right and power to license and regulate the manufacture, sale, purchase, possession, and transportation of alcoholic beverages within the state subject to the laws of the United States that regulate commerce (Const. Art. XX, Sec. 22). The Alcoholic Beverage Control Act was enacted in This Act is intended to protect the safety, welfare, health, peace, and morals of Californians, eliminate the unlicensed and unlawful manufacture, sale and disposal of alcoholic beverages, and promote temperance in the consumption and use of alcoholic beverages” (Bus. & Prof.C :

16. Glossary: Legal Definitions of Crimes
Legal Definitions of Crimes (Continued)
Forgery: “Every person who knowingly procures or offers any false or forged instrument to be filed, registered, or recorded in any public office within this state, which instrument, if genuine, might be filed, registered, or recorded under any law of this state or of the United States, is guilty of a felony” (CA Penal Code, Section 115:
Drunk / Alcohol / Drugs: “The State of California, subject to the internal revenue laws of the United States, has the exclusive right and power to license and regulate the manufacture, sale, purchase, possession, and transportation of alcoholic beverages within the state subject to the laws of the United States that regulate commerce” (Const. Art. XX, Sec. 22:
Criminal Homicide: “Murder is the unlawful killing of a human being, or a fetus, with malice aforethought” (CA Penal Code, Section 187:
Burglary: “Burglary is defined as the unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or a theft” (CA Penal Code, Section 459:
Weapons Laws: “Every person who, except in self-defense, in the presence of any other person, draws or exhibits any deadly weapon whatsoever, other than a firearm, in a rude, angry, or threatening manner, or who in any manner, unlawfully uses a deadly weapon other than a firearm in any fight or quarrel is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for not less than 30 days” (CA Penal Code, Section 417:
Sex Offense Felonies:  ” Any person who touches an intimate part of another person while that person is unlawfully restrained by the accused or an accomplice, and if the touching is against the will of the person touched and is for the purpose of sexual arousal, sexual gratification, or sexual abuse, is guilty of sexual battery.  It is the intent of the Legislature that district attorneys prosecute violent sex crimes under statutes that provide sentencing under a "one strike," "three strikes" or habitual sex offender statute instead of engaging in plea bargaining over those offenses… This has a range of punishments. The defendant could receive a term of imprisonment in county jail for up to 1 year and a fine of up to $2,000. However, California state laws also allows for imprisonment for 2, 3, or 4 years as well as a fine of up to $10,000.” (CA Penal Code, Section :

17. Glossary: Legal Definitions of Crimes
Legal Definitions of Crimes (Continued)
Disorderly Conduct: “Every person who willfully and lewdly, either: 1. Exposes his person, or the private parts thereof, in any public place, or in any place where there are present other persons to be offended or annoyed thereby; or, 2. Procures, counsels, or assists any person so to expose himself or take part in any model artist exhibition, or to make any other exhibition of himself to public view, or the view of any number of persons, such as is offensive to decency, or is adapted to excite to vicious or lewd thoughts or acts” (CA Penal Code, Section 314:
Grand Theft Auto: “‘Carjacking’ is the felonious taking of a motor vehicle in the possession of another, from his or her person or immediate presence, or from the person or immediate presence of a passenger of the motor vehicle, against his or her will and with the intent to either permanently or temporarily deprive the person in possession of the motor vehicle of his or her possession, accomplished by means of force or fear” (CA Penal Code, Section 215:
Sex Offenses Misdemeanors: “Any person who touches an intimate part of another person while that person is unlawfully restrained by the accused or an accomplice, and if the touching is against the will of the person touched and is for the purpose of sexual arousal, sexual gratification, or sexual abuse, is guilty of sexual battery.  This is punishable by up to 6 months in county jail and a fine of up to $2,000. The fine can increase to $3,000 if the defendant was the victim's employer.
Misdemeanors Miscellaneous: All codes under Chapter 2 Of Other and Miscellaneous Offenses sections , including but not limited to,”Every person who gives, offers, or agrees to give to any director, officer, or employee of a financial institution any emolument, gratuity, or reward, or any money, property, or thing of value for his own personal benefit or of personal advantage, for procuring or endeavoring to procure for any person a loan or extension of credit from such financial institution is guilty of a felony” (CA Penal Code, Sections sections :
Fraud and National Science Foundation (NSF) Check: “Every person, being the master, owner or agent of any vessel, or officer or agent of any railroad, express or transportation company, or otherwise being or representing any carrier, who delivers any bill of lading, receipt or other voucher, by which it appears that any merchandise of any description has been shipped on board any vessel, or delivered to any railroad, express or transportation company or other carrier, unless the same has been so shipped or delivered, and is at the time actually under the control of such carrier or the master, owner or agent of such vessel, or of some officer or agent of that company, to be forwarded as expressed in that bill of lading, receipt or voucher, is punishable by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170, or by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both” (CA Penal Code, Section 577:

18. Glossary: Legal Definitions of Crimes
Legal Definitions of Crimes (Continued)
Felonies Miscellaneous: “a felony is an offense with a maximum sentence (whether in county jail or state prison) of more than one year. In some cases, a felony conviction can even be punished by death…People convicted of California felonies may be ordered to a pay fine of up to $10,000 in addition to -- or instead of – imprisonment” (CA Penal Code, Section 460:
Forcible Rape: “Rape is an act of sexual intercourse accomplished with a person not the spouse of the perpetrator, under any of the following circumstances” (CA Penal Code, Section 261:
Warrants: “Search warrants in California are issued by a judge on behalf of a prosecuting agency pursuant to California Penal Code section 1523 (PC1523). However, before the judge can approve the issuance of a search warrant, the judge must reasonably believe that:A crime has been committed, andEvidence of that crime is likely to be found in the place(s) described in the search warrant” (CA Penal Code, Section 1524:
Gambling: “Every person who deals, plays, or carries on, opens, or causes to be opened, or who conducts, either as owner or employee, whether for hire or not, any game of faro, monte, roulette, lansquenet, rouge et noire, rondo, tan, fan-tan, seven-and-a-half, twenty-one, hokey-pokey, or any banking or percentage game played with cards, dice, or any device, for money, checks, credit, or other representative of value, and every person who plays or bets at or against any of those prohibited games, is guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be punishable by a fine not less than one hundred dollars ($100) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding six months, or by both the fine and imprisonment” (CA Penal Code, Section 330:

19. Glossary: General Definitions of Crimes
General Audience / Translated Definitions of Crimes
Aggravated Assault: an attempt to cause serious bodily injury to another or to cause serious bodily injury purposely, knowingly or recklessly, with an extreme indifference to the value of human life. Aggravated assault involves a gun or weapon.
Larceny Theft: the unlawful taking, carrying, leading, or riding away of property from the possession or constructive possession of another.
Non-Aggravated Assault: an unlawful physical attack by one person against another. A crucial component of the definition of non-aggravated assault is that the attacker has no weapon present and no severe injury occurs to the victim.
Federal Offense with Money: any financial transactions that are intended to take money obtained through criminal activity.
Drunk Driving Vehicle: a person who has 0.08 percent or more, by weight, of alcohol in his or her blood when driving a vehicle.
Arson: a person who intentionally starts a fire.
Offenses Against Family: the unlawful nonviolent acts by a family member (or legal guardian) that threaten the physical, mental, or economic well-being or morals of another family member and that are not classifiable as other offenses, such as Assault or Sex Offenses. .
Vehicle / Boating Laws: a crime in which a vehicle or boat is used. For example, human trafficking.
Misdemeanors Miscellaneous: a compilation of a variety of crimes punishable with misdemeanor charges. These examples include conspiracy, rioting, failure to disperse, unlawful discharge of a laser in the second degree, impersonating public officer, illegal dumping, abandoned refrigerators, cold storage lockers, hunting, tormenting or harassing birds and animals, violation of court orders, computer trespass second degree
Fraud and National Science Foundation (NSF) Check: a crime denoted by the use, production or distribution of bad checks, bounced checks, rubber checks, insufficient checks, bogus checks, etc.
Felonies Miscellaneous: a crime, typically one involving violence, regarded as more serious than a misdemeanor, and usually punishable by imprisonment for more than one year or by death.

20. Glossary: General Definitions of Crimes
General Audience / Translated Definitions of Crimes (Continued)
Forcible Rape: the penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.
Warrants: a document issued by a legal or government official authorizing the police or some other body to make an arrest, search premises, or carry out some other action relating to the administration of justice.
Gambling: the unlawful play games for the chance of money. For example, betting.
Vandalism: the deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property.
Vagrancy: a person who is homelessness.
Homicide: the act of murder or one person killing another.
Receiving Stolen Property: a crime in order to deter people from aiding or rewarding thieves by buying stolen property, concealing stolen property, and to deter theft in general.
Narcotics: the use, distribution or sale of any types of illegal psychoactive compound with sleep-inducing properties.
Liquor Laws: a law enforce which states that no one under the age of 21 can drink or purchase alcohol.
Forgery: the forging or producing a copy of a document, signature, banknote, or work of art.
Drunk / Alcohol / Drugs: the laws which state that anyone who is 21 or older can purchase alcohol or cigarettes.
Criminal Homicide: the malice involved in the crime is transferred to the killing, resulting in a charge of manslaughter.

21. Glossary: General Definitions of Crimes
General Audience / Translated Definitions of Crimes (Continued)
Burglary: the entry into a building illegally with intent to commit a crime, especially theft.
Weapon Laws: a California law which prohibits anyone from possessing an assault weapon unless he or she possessed the firearm prior to the date it was defined as an assault weapon and registered the firearm with the California Department of Justice (DOJ) in the timeframe of established by state law. 
Sex Offense Felonies: the unlawful and unwanted touching of another person's intimate parts. This may be prosecuted through California's sexual assault, or sexual battery, laws.
Non-Aggravated Assault: a type of assault which does not include a weapon. For example, non-aggravated (simple) assaults are not included in the violent crime count.
Disorderly Conduct: the unruly behavior constituting a minor offense.
Grand Theft Auto: the stealing an automobile or other vehicle.
Sex Offenses Misdemeanor: the indecent solicitation of a child; sexual exploitation of a child; criminal sexual abuse; and sexual relations within families and attempt to commit any of these offenses.

22. About the Expert: Sergeant Gabrielle Peloquin
Sergeant Gabrielle Peloquin || Orange County
Sheriff’s Department - Property and Evidence
Bureau
With over 22 years with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department working as a
sergeant, investigator and deputy sheriff, this female sergeant works directly with law
enforcement and the District Attorney’s Office; has been in charge of overseeing
Internal Affairs and the Central Jail Complex, and various other duties. Some of her
duties as a deputy Sergeant have included: Public Safety, Conflict Resolution, Crisis
Management, Criminal Investigation, Evidence Collection/Preservation, Report
Writing, Court Testimony, Traffic Enforcement.
Contact Information:
Cell: (949) | Work: (714) |
Date of Interview: Friday, May 5th, 2017

23. About the Expert: Homies Unidos
Alex Sanchez || Executive Director at Homies
Unidos
According to its website, “Homies Unidos provides youth life skills and parenting
programs for target families and gang at-risk and gang involved youth. These
curriculums are provided in our office or can be arranged to be implemented in any
facility.”
Alex Sanchez is an internationally recognized peacemaker and co-founder of Homies
Unidos in Los Angeles where he has developed and implemented innovative violence
prevention and intervention programs since 1998 and has also lead the organization as
Executive Director since An outspoken community leader, Alex’s commitment to
disenfranchised youth and their families in the Latino and largely Central American
communities of the Pico Union, Westlake and Koreatown areas of Los Angeles, is rooted in
his own personal journey that includes having been a gang-involved youth, target of the INS,
LAPD and Salvadoran national police and death squads. Alex’s family migrated to Los
Angeles, California at the end of the 1970s, during the height of military repression in El
Salvador. 
Contact Information:
Phone: (213) |
Date of Interview: Monday, May 1st, 2017

24. About the Writer: Caleigh Rae Wells
Caleigh Rae Wells || Broadcast and Digital
Journalism, University of Southern California
Wells is currently a third year undergraduate student at the University of Southern
California. She is pursuing a B.A. in Broadcast and Digital Journalism and a Minor in
Music. Leveraging skills acquired from the Annenberg School of Communications
and Journalism, experience in online journalism and her love for art and design,
she is currently working as a Digital Media Marketing intern consultant for companies
such as: Premiere Events, Laguna Beach Textile Company, and Berkshire Hathaway
Home Services.
Contact Information:
Cell: (949) |