The gang members are doing “reconnaissance” on the private homes of police officers, according to the alert, which encourages cops in Long Island to be aware of their surroundings when leaving their homes and to change up their travel routes if possible.<doc-sep>Crime & Safety MS-13 Threatening To 'Hit' LI Police: Report MS-13 gang members are targeting police in specific Long Island towns to amp their street cred, report says. Reply (Patch file photo.) PATCHOGUE, NY — Brutal MS-13 gang members are looking to "hit" police officers from Long Island, according to a new report. According to an article in the NY Post, the NYPD received information that the deadly MS-13 street gang was looking to target LI police in communities including Brentwood, Central Islip and possibly Patchogue to amp their street cred. The article also said that a memo was released Tuesday from the 105th Precinct, "warning officers that the department has received 'threats against [members of service]'" and that "intel has been obtained that members of MS13 are looking to 'hit' NYPD police officers, specifically in the Brentwood/Central Islip area, as well as possibly Patchogue," with the members conducting "reconnaissance" of the private homes of officers. The report said that the memo warned police to be cognizant, alert, to change their routines and watch out for strange routines or unusual activity. "The Suffolk County Police Department is in continuous contact with all of our public safety partners, including the New York City Police Department, and we will continue to work together to address any threats made to law enforcement personnel," SCPD told Patch. It's not the first time police have been threatened by the blood-thirsty gang: In April, 2018, police said MS-13 issued a deadly threat — stating that it was time to "take back streets . . .and take out a cop." The Nassau County Police Department issued an intelligence bulletin at that time about a possible threat to law enforcement and the Hempstead Police Department reported receiving information from a credible informant, stating that MS-13 was "looking to shoot a cop in the Hempstead area."<doc-sep>NYPD and Long Island police officials, acting out of a sense of caution, put out alerts to officers after intelligence reports stated that MS-13 gang members were going to target city cops, particularly those living in Suffolk County, for retaliation, officials said. “Out of an abundance of caution an officer safety alert was sent of an unverified threat by MS-13 targeting law enforcement,” the NYPD said in a statement released Wednesday. An NYPD spokesman said the alerts stemmed from a report by state correction officials who learned of a possible threat by the gang to harm cops. A spokeswoman for the state Department of Correctional Services and Community Supervision was unavailable for comment late Wednesday. The threat reportedly involved a claim that MS-13 wanted to kill NYPD officers who lived in the Brentwood and Central Islip areas as a way of gaining street credibility. Gang members were allegedly conducting surveillance of officers’ homes, the reports stated. The threat alerts drew strong reactions from officials in both Nassau and Suffolk counties. “The reports are disturbing, but the Suffolk County police will not be deterred in any way in keeping the public safe,” County Executive Steve Bellone said Wednesday, adding that he took the reports “very seriously.” Get the Suffolk news this week newsletter! The biggest news, politics and crime stories in Suffolk County, in your inbox every Friday at noon. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy. Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said he was aware of the threats to cops outside of Nassau County. “Any threat of violence toward any police officer is always taken seriously, thus our officers continue to receive intelligence bulletins advising of any specific threats, safety concerns and are advised to always use due diligence both on and off duty,” Ryder said. Similar threats from MS-13 have percolated through the law enforcement community over the years, officials noted. The gang members, who have been heavily concentrated on Long Island, have spread their activity into New York City where police have targeted them for arrests, particularly in homicide cases. An NYPD official, while not dismissing the latest report, questioned whether a prison inmate might be telling officials about the alleged threat as a way of currying favor or attempting to cooperate in hopes of mitigating a prison sentence. The official said that had the reports emanated from the department’s own street intelligence sources, they might be viewed with more credibility. With Rick Brand<doc-sep>NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – The NYPD is warning police officers about a possible threat from the MS-13 gang, particularly when they are off-duty. CBS2’s Dick Brennan reports that in a bulletin the NYPD put out this alert: “Members of MS-13 are looking to ‘hit’ NYPD police officers, specifically in the Brentwood/Central Islip area as well as possibly Patchogue.” The bulletin says that the gang members would carry out the attacks on off-duty officers “in order to gain street credibility.” MORE: 2 More MS-13 Members Arrested In Deadly Subway Platform Shooting, Police Say While the threat has not been substantiated, law enforcement experts say this cannot be taken lightly. “Whenever a law enforcement officer is being threatened, especially by an organization like MS-13 which we already know is uber violent and has killed numerous people throughout the country if not throughout the world, this has to be taken serious,” said former FBI agent Manny Gomez. The gang’s reign of terror has spread widely, particularly in Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties and includes murder, drugs, child prostitution and racketeering. The bulletin suggests the gang may be looking to target police officers off-duty near their homes, warning that “these members are conducting reconnaissance of MOS private residences” “They are going above and beyond what any other gang does, and the scary part is that we already know that they legitimately carry out their threats and they are extremely violent,” said Gomez. Police are warning law enforcement to take extra precautions and not to let their guard down particularly when they are in and around their homes and off duty. They say that includes changing routines whenever possible.<doc-sep>
Members of the MS-13 gang looking to improve their “street credibility” are reportedly aiming to target New York police officers who live in some areas of Long Island. NYPD 105th Precinct officials issued a word of caution to officers residing in Brentwood, Central Islip and Patchogue about the “threats” as the gang members were apparently caught surveying officers’ homes, the New York Post reported Tuesday, citing an internal memo. MS-13 CRACKDOWN SEVERELY REDUCES GANG’S VIOLENT CRIMINAL ACTIVITY IN NEW YORK STRONGHOLD “Intel has been obtained that members of MS13 are looking to ‘hit’ NYPD police officers, specifically in the Brentwood/Central Islip area, as well as possibly Patchogue in order to gain street credibility,” the document reportedly said. “These members are conducting reconnaissance of [member of service] private residences.” Law enforcement living in the areas were advised to be aware of anything out of the ordinary and to do what they can to switch up their daily habits, according to the Post. Sgt. Jessica McRorie told Fox News that "out of an abundance of caution an officer safety alert was sent of an unverified threat by MS13 targeting law enforcement officers." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP MS-13 was started by Central American immigrants, mainly from El Salvador, in Los Angeles in the 1980s. It has expanded since to include Hondurans, Guatemalans, Mexicans and other Central and South Americans. MS-13’s motto is “mata, viola, controla” – which means "kill, rape, control," according to Robert Hur, an official with the Justice Department. Fox News’ Kaitlyn Schallhorn contributed to this report.