Sheriff wants new countywide gang unit

‘We can’t afford to lose control of the streets’

By FRITZ MAYER

MONTICELLO, NY — At a club just outside of the Monticello village limit in late October, a man was nearly beaten to death, and another was stabbed. The troubling part, for the county sheriff deputies, is no one at the club at the time saw or heard anything.

For Sheriff Mike Schiff, that’s a sign that gang activity was connected to the incident.

Schiff told county lawmakers at a Public Safety Committee meeting on November 9 that he wants to start a countywide gang unit to battle the problem, which he said is growing in several communities such as Liberty and Lumberland.

But the biggest problem is in Monticello, where drug and gun activities have soared in recent years. As recently as 2002, it was uncommon to get a report of “shots fired” in the village. Now, however, gun calls are commonplace.

Schiff said he wants to confront the problem on various levels, with an intelligence unit, more enforcement personnel and in the schools. “We can’t afford to lose control of the streets,” he said.

He said it’s important to get to youngsters who are now gang “wanna-bes” before they become full-fledged members. Schiff said members of national gangs, such as the Crips, Bloods and Latin Kings, had been identified in the area, and they recruit new members by simply asking young people to “join the club.” He added that there are disenfranchised youth, aged 12 to 20, who find gang membership very appealing.

Legislator Jonathon Rouis noted that gang activity was prevalent in other areas such as the population centers in Ulster County, and he asked Schiff if there was some way the problem could be treated regionally.

Schiff responded that Sullivan County would not get the attention it needs if it became partnered with areas such as Kingston or Newburgh, because the gang problem in those areas is much worse, and that’s where most of the effort in a regional program would be focused.

Legislator Kathy LaBuda asked if there were grants available to pay for an anti-gang program. Schiff replied that some money was available for such things as surveillance equipment, but the real problem is a lack of officers. He said, “we’ve got a stack of residences that should be looked at right now,” but the manpower is lacking.

Legislator Leni Binder said financing an anti-gang unit would not be easy, especially during this year of county belt tightening.