The information provided above is only a generalized description
of youth gun violence. Research has shown that criminal and
disorderly youth gangs and groups vary widely both within and
across cities.25 (For example, Boston gangs were small, loosely
organized, mostly neighborhood-based groups, unlike Chicago and
Los Angeles gangs.) You must combine the basic facts with a more
specific understanding of your local problem. Analyzing the
local problem carefully will help you design a more effective
response strategy. Analyses of youth gun violence should combine
official data with street-level knowledge to provide a dynamic,
real-life picture of the problem. The experiences, observations,
and historical perspectives of police officers, street workers,
and others in routine contact with offenders, communities, and
criminal networks are underused resources for describing,
understanding, and crafting interventions aimed at crime
problems. Collecting data through interviews and focus groups
can help you refine exis