How Does Someone Get Identified As a Gang Member In San Diego?

By Marissa Cabrera, Maureen Cavanaugh,
and Peggy Pico

How accurate is the statewide database of gang members and how does a person get their name off the list?

Last week, the San Diego Association of Governments announced there are 7,500 documented gang members in San Diego County. Their names are in the database called Calgangs.

But civil rights advocates say the list is not always accurate. And a new California law requires parental notification before a juvenile gang member’s name is included in the database.

Click here to listen to a KPBS Midday Edition interview with Margaret Dooley-Sammuli, senior policy advocate for ACLU San Diego and Imperial Counties, and Capt. Terry McManus of the San Diego Police Department.