Purpose of the Organized criminal groups

Organized criminal groups are simply business organizations operating under many different management structures and dealing in illegal products. A requisite of the organization has been the establishment of illegal enter­prises to produce large profits, which are then converted into channels of influence and legitimate enterprises.

How an organized group generates illegal profits is generally known to the chief of police, but he is unable to maintain a sustained enforcement effort against the confederation. Because of the organization's policy of "in­sulating" the higher-ups in the organization, it is unlikely a local agency will prosecute more than street agents at the lowest echelon in the criminal hierar­chy. The organized groups are structured to accommodate the loss of a large number of street agents because of arrests and intergang violence. Thus, organization is vital to the survival of these confederated groups. The con­federations are active in all phases of American life; they have a grip on real estate involving millions of dollars; control of numerous banks, loan firms, and Financial institutions; control of prostitution, gambling, nar­cotics, and other vice activities. As early as 1964, for example. U.S. News and World Report stated that the Mafia was deeply involved in the garment in­dustry.

The presence of organized elements in a city may be influenced by geographical location, ethnic group population, historical heritages, and many other physical, cultural, and social traits.

A city such as a seaport, a transportation and convention center, or a boomtown naturally attracts organized elements. Frequently these settings create the "open city" atmosphere with liberal attitudes toward organized crime enforcement. Pressures from business favor laxness in law enforce­ment. Businesspeople believe that overlooking certain violations will enhance the attractiveness of the city. Conversely, however, the closed city may be a greater attraction to the syndicates.

Whether civic leaders adopt an open or closed city attitude does not deter the influences of the confederations. The highly industrialized, the tourist spas, and the prosperous cities attract commercialized crime, which then infiltrates into local legitimate businesses. Once these inroads are made, illegal business and informal pressure groups exert just enough influence to see that their vested interests are allowed to operate.

Ethnic group composition of a city may promote the growth of organized crime. Some ethnic groups have different values, cultural mores, and ethics, and as such do not readily adapt to white middle-class standards. These ethnic groups, frequently of lower economic status, find hope in promises of a big lottery win or a long-shot win with the street corner bookie. Perhaps, because of intense social frustration, these groups find emotional outlets in gambling and prostitution. Through necessity they patronize the loan shark, and because of ignorance they become victims of organized frauds and swindles.

Historically, gambling has been the financial foundation of organized crime. In the 1970s and 1980s drugs became the major source of revenue. It is estimated that more than one-half million drug addicts in the United States depends on a constant flow of drugs. Fortune magazine recently iden­tified Orientals from the golden triangle of Southeast Asia, Mexicans, or South Americans to be some of the major suppliers for this flow of drugs.

By combining expertise of the federal government and the strike force operating units, there has been a reasonably successful effort against the con­federations in many major cities. Such operations have in the past ten years caused substantial changes in the operation ofthe five New York families. The families, which are estimated to number about 2500, have been forced to tighten security in internal operations, to make businessconnections more covert, and to contend with rebellion among the young members.

There appears to be little question of the existence of organizedcrime. How it will be ferreted out and prosecuted remains the prime problem.

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