Detectives using Web site to search for gang members
MySpace: A place for gangs
Katherine Rosenberg
The Daily Press
November 05, 2006
VICTORVILLE — Myspace. com calls itself “a place for friends.” But it’s also a place for gangs, and now, a place for detectives trying to tackle those gangs.
Officials from several San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department stations are perusing the Web site that claims to have over 106 million users, with a reported 230,000 people joining each day. There are various motivations for using MySpace, but at the Victorville station, detectives and members of the Gang Unit use it to track and identify gang members.
“I’ve been working with it for the last six months or so, in order to identify gang members,” said Detective Jeremy Martinez, who heads up the Gang Unit. “I started searching because I learned the Below Under Ground gang had a Web page on there that claimed 37 members in ‘Victimville.’ ”
Martinez has submitted materials obtained via the Web site to the District Attorney’s office as evidence for the prosecution of a gang enhancement for members of BUG currently awaiting trial on a Victorville case from 2005. Among the items submitted were two notebooks full of printouts from myspace.com.
“There are pictures of them holding guns and throwing signs. It helps me prove the gang allegations in these cases. I could literally spend weeks going through all of their pages. I just don’t have the time,” Martinez said.
He explained that he started using the Web site after hearing of the successes agencies all over the country have had with Myspace.com. The site allows users to create groups and members can join that group, which is the page that Martinez first found. From that page, he was able to look at the individual profiles of 37 suspected gang members.
“They have since taken down that page, I don’t know if they got smart or what, but the individual pages are still active. That’s how I’m identifying, or trying to identify the gang members. It’s a great tool, its just time-consuming,” Martinez said. “Sometimes you get lucky and it has a good photo of them, or it lists where they live or what school they go to, like Silverado, Hesperia or Victor. Usually the name they have listed is their moniker or some unique online name. A few of them actually put their real names.”
Martinez said the only hurdle in using the Web site is to determine how the gangs refer to themselves online. In order to search the 106 million members, you must enter the name of the person or of the group exactly as it appears.
One concern of law enforcement was that gang members are using the Web site as a means to attract or recruit more gang members by trying to display their lifestyles in a favorable or appealing manner. Martinez said he has not run across any evidence to suggest that is taking place.
“I haven’t found anything to necessarily say they are recruiting people, but I have heard of it happening, and it would not surprise me at all,” Martinez said.
Detective Buddy Wiebeld of the Victorville station who handles all sex crime cases said that he has also used Myspace.com in some of his investigations, but it is not a prevalent tool.
Authorities remind parents to be mindful of their children’s online activities, as children can be easily influenced or manipulated by online predators out to hurt them or steal their personal information.
Katherine Rosenberg
The Daily Press
November 05, 2006
VICTORVILLE — Myspace. com calls itself “a place for friends.” But it’s also a place for gangs, and now, a place for detectives trying to tackle those gangs.
Officials from several San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department stations are perusing the Web site that claims to have over 106 million users, with a reported 230,000 people joining each day. There are various motivations for using MySpace, but at the Victorville station, detectives and members of the Gang Unit use it to track and identify gang members.
“I’ve been working with it for the last six months or so, in order to identify gang members,” said Detective Jeremy Martinez, who heads up the Gang Unit. “I started searching because I learned the Below Under Ground gang had a Web page on there that claimed 37 members in ‘Victimville.’ ”
Martinez has submitted materials obtained via the Web site to the District Attorney’s office as evidence for the prosecution of a gang enhancement for members of BUG currently awaiting trial on a Victorville case from 2005. Among the items submitted were two notebooks full of printouts from myspace.com.
“There are pictures of them holding guns and throwing signs. It helps me prove the gang allegations in these cases. I could literally spend weeks going through all of their pages. I just don’t have the time,” Martinez said.
He explained that he started using the Web site after hearing of the successes agencies all over the country have had with Myspace.com. The site allows users to create groups and members can join that group, which is the page that Martinez first found. From that page, he was able to look at the individual profiles of 37 suspected gang members.
“They have since taken down that page, I don’t know if they got smart or what, but the individual pages are still active. That’s how I’m identifying, or trying to identify the gang members. It’s a great tool, its just time-consuming,” Martinez said. “Sometimes you get lucky and it has a good photo of them, or it lists where they live or what school they go to, like Silverado, Hesperia or Victor. Usually the name they have listed is their moniker or some unique online name. A few of them actually put their real names.”
Martinez said the only hurdle in using the Web site is to determine how the gangs refer to themselves online. In order to search the 106 million members, you must enter the name of the person or of the group exactly as it appears.
One concern of law enforcement was that gang members are using the Web site as a means to attract or recruit more gang members by trying to display their lifestyles in a favorable or appealing manner. Martinez said he has not run across any evidence to suggest that is taking place.
“I haven’t found anything to necessarily say they are recruiting people, but I have heard of it happening, and it would not surprise me at all,” Martinez said.
Detective Buddy Wiebeld of the Victorville station who handles all sex crime cases said that he has also used Myspace.com in some of his investigations, but it is not a prevalent tool.
Authorities remind parents to be mindful of their children’s online activities, as children can be easily influenced or manipulated by online predators out to hurt them or steal their personal information.
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