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| Investigators glean gang information from inmate birthday cards |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 04/12/2004 |
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Gang investigators in California prisons are lifting clues from an unusual source -- handmade greeting cards. Contraband birthday cards taken from inmates' cells can provide valuable information about gangs, as members sign with their gang nicknames and affiliations. Sometimes investigators can lift an entire gang registry from one card. "That's where you get a lot of your information, from these birthday cards," said Officer Steve Preciado, a gang investigator at California State Prison, Los Angeles County, in Lancaster. "A lot of times their family members won't send them nothing. But the gangsters will put their nicknames on these cards, and where they're from, like 'Shorty from Pacoima.' So your job is to find out who Shorty is." A confiscated card to Crip gang member "Salahudin" showed a cartoon of a gangster holding a MAC-10 automatic pistol. The card was bordered in blue, the Crips' signature color. And because Crips avoid the letter "B" due to its association with the rival Bloods, the card announced "Happy C-Day." The card was also signed with dozens of gang members' names. Investigators say the sometimes-cryptic information on the cards helps determine which inmates have moved on from membership in street gangs to more troublesome prison-based gangs, which are responsible for the bulk of the system's organized violence and drug trafficking. |
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