LAPD Gang Units

LOS ANGELES - AUGUST 3: Two Los Angeles police officers question a known Mara Salvatrucha 13 gang member on August 3, 2006 in the Wilshire neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The area is known for it's violent hispanic gang presence and it's illegal drug trade. Wilshire and the adjacent Rampart police station have close to 30 hispanic street gangs with some gangs controlling no more than 4-6 square blocks. Gangs compete for the lucrative drug trade with the majority of the profits going to the Mexican mafia. In 2004, a legal injunction was passed in Los Angeles for designated high crime zones prohibiting more than two street gang members associating regardless of the circumstances and subject to immediate arrest. As a result, street crime on the surface has been reduced but violence between gangs competing for membership and drug sales continues. Los Angeles crime rates, traditionally one of the highest in California, have recently fallen as figures show a shift by criminals to outlying counties where real estate prices are more affordable. (Photo by Robert Nickelserg/Getty Images)