Thursday, March 03, 2011

Social Media Offers Wealth of Clues for Law Enforcement - NYTimes.com

Signs of the times

“Especially in gang cases, a criminal defendant will say, ‘How do you know that’s me?’ and prosecutors will say, ‘Here’s a photo of you throwing gang signs, and here’s a photo of you with known gang members, and here’s a photo of you holding up the very type of weapon you claim never to have seen before,’ ” said John Browning, a Dallas lawyer who has written a book about social media and the law.

In New York, Twitter is a common mode of communication between youth gangs, said a Harlem pastor, Vernon Williams, who monitors the online messages of various “crews” in an effort to head off potential wars. Twitter messages factored into the investigation of a Times Square shooting last April that left four people wounded, a law enforcement official said.

Social Media Offers Wealth of Clues for Law Enforcement - NYTimes.com

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