Final answer:
To effectively understand and handle organized crime, Gary W. Potter emphasizes the importance of studying Social networks, as informed by social disorganization theory, which focuses on the impact of community conditions on crime.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Gary W. Potter, to effectively understand organized crime and deal with it, it is important to study Social networks. This is because social disorganization theory, a key sociological perspective, argues that crime frequently occurs in communities with weakened social ties and a lack of social control. The theory posits that certain neighborhoods create environments that may foster or inhibit criminal activity. This understanding is crucial for guiding effective policy and law enforcement strategies aimed at reducing crime by strengthening community bonds and improving social conditions.
Moreover, understanding social networks helps to comprehend how organized crime operates within different social fabrics and can provide insights into how criminal enterprises are structured and maintained. Thus, analyzing social networks can also yield effective methods to disrupt and prevent organized criminal activities by targeting the relational dynamics at play.