RCMP inadvertently sponsored U.S. gang websites
Last Updated: Monday, February 19, 2007 | 8:05 AM ET
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The RCMP say they have removed online advertisements inadvertently linking the force to one of the most notorious Latino street gangs in America.
'My message to the Mounties: You want to disassociate yourselves from any kind of a connection like that, and not be part of that.'—Lieut. Paul Vernon, LAPD
The CBC alerted the Mounties on Friday to police recruitment ads that popped up on websites run by the Los Angeles-based 18th Street Gang, an international outfit considered by criminal analysts to be one of the most violent gangs in the world.
The RCMP banner ad that appeared on the 18th Street Gang website.
(CBC)
On one internet message board, death threats to rival crews and violent messages appeared as if they were endorsed by an RCMP logo inviting youth to apply to the force. At the top of another page on a different site also owned by the 18th Street Gang, a banner ad featuring a smiling female Mountie showed up above a dedication to slain gang member "L'il Creeper."
"Some of the documentation I read was totally inappropriate, and our logo to our recruiting effort should never have been placed with these ads," RCMP Sgt. Marty Blais said.
Web-hosting companies such as Angelfire and Lycos make it possible for almost anyone — including gangs — to acquire online real estate, with costs covered by sponsors who place banner ads.
Blais blamed online company Lycos for disregarding clear instructions on where to place the ads.
He said after being told about the problem, Lycos agreed to donate free online space to the RCMP to compensate Canadian taxpayers for money spent sponsoring the 18th Street Gang.
Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Lieut. Paul Vernon said the gang has chapters stretching from El Salvador to Montreal and has been linked to dozens of homicides in Los Angeles County. It is believed there are more than 20,000 members in L.A. County alone.
"My message to the Mounties: You want to disassociate yourselves from any kind of a connection like that, and not be part of that," said Vernon. "Shame on those companies or web-hosting sites that would allow that kind of trash to go on there."
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