OVIEDO, Fla. -- Gang members in at least one Central Florida suburb are using the Internet to recruit new members, according to officials. Oviedo police told Local 6 News that gangs in their city are targeting new members via MySpace.com. "It's very enticing. It's very subtle," Nathan Dunn of the Oviedo Police Department said. "Using the social-networking site MySpace, older gang members target kids -- some as young as 12 -- making the life of a gangster seem appealing," Local 6 News reporter Kimberly Houk said. "I was surprised at the quick amount of time that it took to really get going," Dunn said. Gang-related grafitti is showing up in multiple places throughout Oviedo, a city of about 30,000. Police said that gang members begin committing petty crimes, but that leads to more severe criminal behavior. "They fight. They get into fights with other people. They hit other people against their will," Dunn said. "I don't know what to think about the young people," an unidentified Oviedo resident said. "I think it's a parent's responsibility to put controls on the Internet on the computers, and to pay attention to what their children are doing and to know who their children are friends with," another Oviedo resident said. Experts said warning signs that a child may be involved in gang activity are:
Wearing specific colors Withdrawal from family Using and practicing hand signs Breaking rules at home and school Oviedo police urged parents to get their children involved in other activities, limiting their free time and decreasing their chances of wanting to become part of a gang. Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
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