At meeting, residents applaud Suffolk cops' gang crackdown

The commanding officer of the Suffolk Police Department's Third Precinct Tuesday night told an appreciative audience that a crackdown on gangs has resulted in a dramatic increase in misdemeanor and violation arrests.

"Anyone who's a known gang member is fair game," Insp. Jan Rios said at the precinct's monthly meeting, attended by about 130 residents of Brentwood and Central Islip. "Now it's a zero-tolerance policy with them.

"We have a gang, too," he said. "It's us - and now they know it."

Citing the crackdown's results, he said: "It's getting to where they're hard to find."

Responding to an upsurge in gang violence, Suffolk police made 784 arrests in the two communities from Jan. 1 to March 31, according to figures presented by Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy at a forum Monday night.

Tuesday night, Rios said there has been a 42 percent increase in felony arrests, 600 percent increase in misdemeanor arrests and a 1,000 percent increase in violations.

Tuesday night was the fourth anniversary of the precinct's "First Tuesday" meetings, normally held at precinct headquarters in Brentwood. Tuesday night's was moved to a small lecture hall at the police academy on the Suffolk County Community College's Brentwood campus.

In a recap of the month's major arrests, Capt. William Read noted the arrest of a well-known graffiti artist.

Darrell Lowe, 18, of Brentwood, was arrested March 16 and charged with 10 counts of making graffiti, possession of graffiti instruments and criminal possession of a controlled substance.

"What was his tag?" a woman in the audience asked of the graffiti artist's signature.

"Astro," Read replied, eliciting applause and murmurs of recognition.

Much of the discussion focused on the presence of graffiti in the communities. A representative of a new civic group, Brentwood Residents Against Violence Everyday, said the group had scheduled a meeting with the precinct's COPE officer, Nancy Quattrociocchi, to present 170 photos of graffiti blanketing businesses and homes across Brentwood.

"My guys are all over it," Rios said. "We're going to help them clean it up."

Tuesday night's gathering was the first since the issue of gang violence prompted residents to demand answers and action from elected officials at a public forum last month. Nine violent deaths were reported in the two communities last year and five since January.