Organized Crime

by Benson, Michael; French, John L.

• ISBN13: 9780791094105
• ISBN10: 0791094103
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-09-01
• Publisher: Facts on File

Summary

Organized crime poses one of law enforcement's greatest challenges. It is regarded as significantly different from crime committed by individuals or by small groups of criminals. Here, instead, are crimes committed by an organized collective that coordinates its activities and shares in the profits. From the criminal gangs in early American history, to the outlaw gangs of the Old West, to the bootleggers of Prohibition, organized crime has had a lengthy and varied history in the United States. Today, numerous forms of organized crime still exist. The best known, perhaps, is the Mafia. There are many other types of criminal organizations, however. Citing real cases and incidents, Organized Crime details the history of organized crime in America and describes the range of tactics police use to identify, combat, and prevent it. Book jacket.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. 7
Acknowledgments	p. 11
Introduction	p. 13
Making Money	p. 21
The Mole: Infiltrating the Mob	p. 25
Informants: They Call Them Rats	p. 31
Surveillance: Wiring Informants, Tapping Phones, and Snapping Pictures	p. 41
The Big Bust	p. 49
Innovations and New Law	p. 55
Other Mobs	p. 61
Famous Rubouts	p. 71
When the Government Declares War	p. 81
A Brief History of the Gambino Crime Family	p. 89
Chronology	p. 97
Endnotes	p. 101
Glossary	p. 104
Bibliography	p. 105
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Organized crime has long posed one of the greatest criminal challenges to law enforcement. Considered a different type of crime than those committed by individuals or small groups of criminals, these are crimes committed by an organized mob that work together and share in the profits. From the criminal gangs in early American history, to the outlaw gangs of the Old West, to the bootleggers of Prohibition, organized crime has a long history in the United States. Today, numerous organized crime families still exist—the best known, perhaps, is the Mafia—but there are many other types of criminal groups. Organized Crime details the range of tactics police use to identify, combat, and prevent organized crimes.
Chapters include:
Informants: They Call Them Rats
Surveillance: Wiring Informants and Tapping Phones