LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gangs are tumbling to modern communication methods like twitter, but unbeknownst to them, tweeting members may actually be singing like birds to attentive authorities.
Tech-savvy gangsters have long been at home in chatrooms and on Web sites but they appear to be gravitating toward Twitter and Facebook, where they can make threats, boast about crimes and share intelligence.
Law enforcement officials say gang members sometimes post information that helps agents identify gang associates and learn more about their organizations.
Dean Johnston with the California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement says social networking helps build "this little tree of people."
In one California gang case much of the information gathered by investigators came from members' Facebook accounts. Authorities expect to make arrests in the coming months.
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<<CUT …144 (02/02/10)>> 00:09 "gang is doing"
Thomas Watkins
AP Correspondent Thomas Watkins reports cracking the Twitter identies of gang members has become a crime-fighting tool for police in California.
<<CUT …143 (02/02/10)>> 00:10 "can be difficult"
Thomas Watkins
AP Correspondent Thomas Watkins reports even though police are tracking gang members on Twitter, identifying them is not easy.
<<CUT …142 (02/02/10)>> 00:16 "law enforcement officials"
Thomas Watkins
AP Correspondent Thomas Watkins reports California gangs have caught on to tweeting.
