LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Wes McBride
Retired Sergeant, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
Retired Sergeant Wes McBride tirelessly tracked gangs for 28 years of his 35-year career with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. He is known nationally and internationally as a gang expert and is highly respected for his advice on mitigating gang problems. His easygoing approach in the way he handles people has allowed McBride to interview and get gang members to confide in him as to why and what gang members do and how they interact with one another and the communities they reside in.
McBride co-authored the book Understanding Street Gangs, which offers a unique approach to the dilemma of dealing with street gangs. His book is still read at colleges and universities and is used in advanced officer training throughout the country. No other book offers the insight of a working street gang investigator in understanding the escalating threat of gang violence and its causative factors.
McBride helped created the California Gang Investigators Association (CGIA), the first association of its kind. The CGIA draws on gang expertise from all over the nation. CGIA and associated gang investigators all contribute to the intelligence-gathering of gang activity, both nationally and internationally. The association has been a template for regions of the country to adopt their own gang investigators’ organizations. McBride has mentored many of these new groups and was the first President of the National Alliance of Gang Investigators Network. He is also a sought-after consultant for advice on how to mitigate gang activity in various regions of the United States.
McBride has been recognized by the U.S. State Department as a gang expert and was asked to travel to South Africa to consult with that nation’s top law enforcement officers to assist them with strategies for combating their gang problem.
Through McBride’s tireless efforts, he has assisted countless street officers nationwide. His expertise has greatly contributed to their officer safety. As the current Executive Director of the CGIA and even into retirement, McBride is still actively involved in researching and gathering gang intelligence in an effort to make our nation’s communities a safer place.
