114th Community Council Looks At Gang Activity
BY MARIO K. NOREÑA

The 114th Precinct Community Council convened on March 25 to discuss the issue of gang activity and the preventative measures taken by police to combat this threat. Lieutenant Jerry Pizzano of the Queens Gang Squad gave a PowerPoint presentation outlining the unit's approach. He explained how their work relates to that of other officers and how residents can assist through their vigilance.

Pizzano was quick to assert that Northern Queens has a gang problem of lesser magnitude than that of Southern Queens. He also remarked on how impressive it is that 250 officers are capable of patrolling an area stretching from the Queens- Nassau border to the northern and southern halves of the borough.

Within the 114th Precinct, however, more than 210 gang members have been identified. More than 50 members of the Bloods reside in or around the Ravenswood area. The Latin Kings have at least 35 members, but are dispersed throughout the borough, while 15 members of the Crips are said to reside in the Woodside houses. Police sources later clarified this assertion, noting that while gang members reside in the 114th Precinct, they tend to conduct their illicit activities elsewhere.

Special attention was paid to a gang whose reputation precedes it, MS-13. Originally from Los Angeles, it was formed in the 1980s by Salvadorian immigrants as a way of protecting themselves against the more established Mexican and Chicano gangs. Since then, MS-13 has developed into an international criminal organization with centralized leadership out of El Salvador and innumerable factions capable of operating independently. It is MS-13's capacity for organization as well as ruthlessness that has spurred law enforcement to closely monitor the gang's activity.

Pizzano insisted that through monitoring activity on the street, gangs can be prevented from taking root in a community. Being knowledgeable of the colors, hand gestures, and graffiti designs associated with specific gangs can tell a great deal about what's happening in a neighborhood. This is where citizens play a crucial role. By staying alert and maintaining a rapport with their local police, they directly contribute to the security of their neighborhood.

For its part, the Queens Gang Squad responds to any gang-related arrest or incident involving a suspect fitting the profile of a gang member. Usually the situation that the perpetrator is in is enough leverage to extract more information about a gang.

114th Precinct Commanding Officer Deputy Inspector Paul Vorbeck then announced that there had been an increase in thefts of items such as laptops and iPods. GPS tracking devices have become the new car stereos and are responsible for the high numbers of car break-ins. There was also a rise in grand larceny, defined as theft of property valued at more than $1,000. Debit or credit cards are also being stolen in growing numbers and theft of identity has gone up as well.

Earlier, Vorbeck announced the two recipients of the Cop-of-the-Month honors: Wilfred Auguste and Silvio Cuevasmatos. Unfortunately, neither one was in attendance. One officer was ill and the other couldn't be spared from duty, but both their stories were told.

On February 4, Cuevasmatos and his partner were working the midnight shift (12 midnight to 8 a.m.), when a 911 dispatcher sent them to the scene of a domestic disturbance. Two brothers had gotten into a fight and one of them was now loitering outside the apartment, looking beaten up. When the officers got there the suspect assured them that everything was fine. Cuevasmatos insisted they go upstairs to make sure. The apartment turned out to be a marijuana drug lab.

The police department had received many complaints about car break-ins for the theft of GPS units, but few leads. The police decided to purchase their own GPS units. Auguste was instrumental in lining up six potential buyers, who were then arrested for buying stolen property.