Was it a washout? Analyzing the influence of a high intensity, countywide gang crackdown on the formation of new co-offending relationships
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Purpose In 2021, the US Marshals Service (USMS) partnered with law enforcement agencies across Galveston County, TX to conduct Operation Washout (OW), a 10-day operation intended to reduce violent crime through the execution of arrest warrants targeting gang members, firearm, and drug law violators. This study examines the impact of OW on the co-offending of OW arrestees. Methods Arrest data for all of Galveston County are scraped from Police2Citizen Bulletins and used to construct pre- and post-OW co-offending networks. Networks consist of individuals arrested during the intervention, as well as all co-offenders in distance one or two. Stochastic actor-oriented models are estimated to model the formation of new co-offending relationships. Results Arrest during the operation was generally associated with a reduced likelihood of forming new co-offending ties. The probability of forming new co-offending ties following OW was greater among operational targets than non-target fugitives and non-fugitive arrestees apprehended during the intervention. The estimated effect of OW on targets' co-offending was insignificant. Conclusions Consistent with research on Operation Triple Beam, USMS-led fugitive operations effectively target higher priority fugitives. Despite the selection of appropriate operational targets, fugitives' ability to forge new co-offending relationships appears unimpeded by arrest – barring the requisite period of incapacitation.
Source: Journal of Criminal Justice
Author: Thomas Bryan Smith
Institution: University of Mississippi
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,930
OpenAlex ID: W4410078194