PJLC Releases Gang Database Policy Brief as Trump Revives Past Abuses

The Peace and Justice Law Center (PJLC) has released a new policy brief identifying a critical gap in California law that allows unregulated gang databases to persist—creating a pathway for misuse of local law enforcement data under an increasingly authoritarian federal government. The brief offers a targeted legislative fix aimed at protecting civil rights, strengthening public safety, and helping “Trump-proof” California against democratic backsliding.

Over the past decade, California enacted reforms requiring notice, due process, audits, and state oversight for gang databases—but only for those deemed “shared,” such as CalGang. PJLC’s analysis shows how that limitation has become a loophole. Rather than comply with oversight, many agencies have abandoned CalGang and shifted to internal databases that operate without transparency or accountability, undermining the Legislature’s intent.

The policy brief explains why this gap is especially dangerous now. Under the Trump administration and the broader rise of the far right, gang allegations—often unverified—are being revived as tools to justify extreme government actions, including detention and deportation without meaningful due process. Unregulated local databases make it easier for flawed information to be relied upon or exploited by federal authorities.

PJLC proposes a narrow, practical solution: amend Penal Code sections 186.34–186.36 to remove the word “shared,” ensuring that all gang databases are subject to California’s existing due process and oversight rules. The proposal does not expand gang policing or data collection. It simply closes a loophole that incentivizes evasion of accountability.

This policy brief reflects PJLC’s strategic approach to defending civil rights in a period of democratic decline—pairing deep legal expertise with precise policy solutions that prevent abuse before it happens.