verb (used with object) 1. to make (something broken, worn, torn, or otherwise damaged) whole, sound, or usable by repairing: to mend old clothes; to mend a broken toy. 2. to remove or correct defects or errors in.
Today, the Chicago Police Department is doing something similar with gangs. Using a tool academics call ânetwork analysis,â the CPD is mapping the relationships among Chicagoâs 14,000 most active gang members. Itâs also ranking how likely those people are to be involved in a homicide, either as victims or offenders.
The Department of Justice estimates there may be as many as 175,000 to 200,000 gang members in California. These figures are approximations only since there is no statewide, centralized repository of gang-related information to accurately measure the number of gang members in California. However, these figures represent an approximate 230 to 280 percent increase over the past 11 years when former Attorney General George Deukmejian's Youth Gang Task Force estimated 52,400 gang members in the state during 1981.