Cops LOVE Checking Out Birthday Cards To Jailed Gangbangers

[matcom]

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State prisoners can't resist exchanging homemade birthday cards, which provide investigators with a rich source of intelligence.

When the Crip gang member nicknamed Salahudin celebrated his birthday in state prison, his homeboys marked the occasion with a ritual straight out of a suburban office park.

They passed around and signed a birthday card.

But this was no Hallmark. On the front of the homemade greeting was 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" at all costs — due to its association with their rival gang, the Bloods — the card happily announced "Happy C-Day."

The card may have warmed the convict's heart. But it also proved to be a rich vein of intelligence for investigators at the state prison in Lancaster. Many well-wishers signed with their nicknames and gang affiliations, offering a detailed registry of the active Crips on Salahudin's cellblock.

http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/showcase/la-me-cards5apr05.story