The tendency for gang members to brag about their exploits on web pages such as the popular networking site Myspace.com has in some cases helped investigators make arrests.
Chicago police recently arrested a teenager accused of spraying his gang nickname on a church by tracing the moniker to his Myspace.com account. His online profile included his address, photo and real name.
A Northern California judge ruled earlier this month that two teens charged with beating a boy into a coma could be tried as adults after prosecutors showed photographs of the two from Myspace.com. In the images, they flashed the hand signs of a local gang.
Myspace.com representatives could not be reached for comment.
Deputy Tom Ferguson of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s gang investigation unit has identified a number of graffiti writers who posted to a public website photos of themselves in front of their work.
“Maybe they think we don’t look at it,” Ferguson said. “But we’re out there gleaning information on them.”
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