Cops may not be able to indulge in social media themselves, but it's certainly been handy when it comes to catching criminals. More than 60 alleged gang members were charged this morning after discussing their devious plans on the internet, bandying a bouquet of perplexing slang that frankly, we're surprised the city's cops were able to decipher.
The most interesting thing we learned, though, is that just about any household object can serve as a substitute for the word "gun." According to the Post, biscuit, drum set, instrument, ratchet, toy, speaker, utensil, flamingo and sandwich are all suitable stand-ins, conjuring all sorts of hilarious remixes like Grab My Biscuit and Sandwich Play. Confusingly, the act of actually firing a gun comes with its own terminology: air it, dump on, pop a bottle, play the flute. So who the hell knows what's going on anymore, but this would definitely make for a weird game of Mad Libs.
According to the Manhattan D.A., the defendants are all alleged members of three rival East Harlem gangs: Air It Out, True Money (also known as Trillas) and Whoadey, and are collectively responsible for three murders and more than 30 shootings, as well as assaults, firearms possession and gun trafficking. Their moves have been tracked by cops for three years.
The defendants are facing charges ranging from attempted murder and weapons possession to "conspiracy to commit murder," which carries a possible life sentence without parole. Last month, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly reported a drastically decreased murder rate thanks to the cringingly named Operation Crew Cut, which uses the Facebook activity of alleged gang members to string together charges of organized crime.
The NYPD may have its shortcomings, but at least its officers appear to be slightly street-savvier than the departments in other, lamer cities, like Boston. (Don't be offended if you're from Boston—at least we called it a "city.")
